Forgotten
by ROCkER.JACkSON
Summary: What's left when you have no memory of who you are and where you come from? When all that surrounds you are a bunch of blank faces telling you how to feel and who to be? Elizabeth is thrust into a world she knows nothing about after awaking from a coma with no memory of who she once was. Can Jason help her let go of the past she doesn't remember and live in the present with him?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

His days seemed shorter, his nights longer, and the rest in between almost obsolete. Sitting in the back seat of the stretched limo, Jason Morgan pours himself another glass of scotch, praying for the day that his best friend, Sonny Corinthos, returns to reclaim his position as the head of the organization. Politics, even the mob version, wasn't something Jason took interest in. He hated the suits and, even more so, the company he must keep.

Guards are necessary to keep up the image, something he never quite cared about, but insured Sonny always kept up with. He didn't sign up to run an entire organization, but it was something he took on for the man that taught him most of what he knew. He owed Sonny in so many ways and taking on the business barely put a dent in that.

Though he rarely ever looks forward to the future, knowing it was something that could easily change and morph, Jason looks forward to the day he can return to his usual t-shirt and jeans. Back to days of his leather jacket and riding the open roads on his motorcycle.

Rain's pouring down outside and he knew that it would be a day without meetings. The five families and others in the business hated commencing business meetings on days like this. It was all the more reason why Jason wished for days like this almost every day. Of course he wasn't granted this type of reprieve much, being located in the small town of Port Charles, but today he was and he'll make the most of it.

Staring out the window of the limousine, Jason finds his attention drawn to a petite woman walking through the rain as the driver stops at a red light. She doesn't look dressed for the weather they've found themselves in yet she's walking through the rain as if she doesn't feel it pounding against her skin.

Maybe she really didn't feel it. Maybe she didn't even realize the rain falling from the sky. For a split second he thinks she can feel the weight of his stare because she stops for a moment. She glances around before her eyes meet his. He knows for a fact that she can't see him, the tint paired with the rain falling makes it impossible, but he feels like she can. The way she stares at him, its as if she could see him.

Even through the tint and the rain, her blue eyes stood out from the rest of her, they were so deep, so conflictingly beautiful. She drops her gaze not too long after his limo starts driving through the green light, continuing her venture to wherever she was headed as he was continuing his venture to his penthouse.

Finally getting to the building that housed his penthouse, Jason finds his sister waiting by the elevators, a sad look on her face that had him wishing he had continued his ride through the rest of town - at the very least, gotten something to eat because he was certain he wasn't going to be getting any rest.

"You okay?" he asks in that tone he always uses when talking to his sister.

"Not really." she sighs, putting on a slight smile for his benefit. "I kind of need your help."

"Come on." Jason hits the up button on the elevator. "We'll talk in my penthouse."

Leading her into the elevator and up to his penthouse, Jason gets her a glass of water before sitting to hear what she has to say and what he'll have to help her with. Looking at his sister, he can see that a lot was weighing on her mind.

The way her shoulders are slumped, the slight bags beneath her eyes, and the look of pure fatigue throughout her form. He didn't know what he was about to do, but he knew he'll be agreeing to just about anything to help her out.

"So what's going on?" Jason initiates the conversation, knowing that he would have to help her along if he wanted any real information to pour out of her.

"Do you remember my friend Elizabeth?" Emily questioned, though she's certain he doesn't. "She's a waitress at Kelly's. Anyway, she's missing and I need your help to find her."

"Isn't this a job for the police?" Jason voices though he can see that she found that laughable coming from him. "What can I possibly do to help?"

"You have men working for you." Emily points out. "Please! You have to help me find her...she's not in the right state of mind and I'm afraid something bad can happen to her."

"Why do I feel like you're leaving a big chunk of the situation out?" Jason eyes her intently. "Start from the beginning."

"Elizabeth was in a car accident last year." Emily sighs, wishing she didn't have to go into detail. "She was in a coma for about nine months, but awoke in spite of what the doctors foresaw."

"So she disappeared from the hospital?"

"No. She disappeared from the rehabilitation facility." Emily concedes, pulling out the flyer that they've put up all over town. "She's somewhere in town, but no one has been able to find her."

Taking the flyer from her hands, Jason was in a whole different type of silence, one that stuns him to his core. It was the girl he had seen walking through the rain. The girl with deep blue eyes that put him at awe for the first time in his life. The girl in the picture, for some reason, wasn't as captivating as the girl he had seen in the rain. A part of him wanted to find her, just to put his own thoughts to rest.

"I'll do what I can." Jason says, handing the flyer back to her. "But I make no promises."

"Didn't think you would." Emily counters, smiling slightly. "Knowing you're looking for her puts my fears at ease. Thank you, Jase."

Showing her to the door, he hugs his sister goodbye before sprinting up the steps to take a quick bath and change into something more his style. Something inside of him told him he had to find the young woman, to help her if that's what she wanted and - in spite of his sister's request - help her run if that's what she wanted. Whatever she wanted him to do could only be done if he pulls off the first step - finding her.

**A/N: I was challenged into writing this. Apparently my stories don't present with much interest, so this is an answer to the challenge I received.**  
**Hope you enjoyed this first chapter and expect more to come and soon.**

**Reviews encouraged. Thanks.**

**- ROCkER -**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Months spent in that facility and she was ready to explode. Every minute since she has miraculously woken up has been spent with a well meaning loved one, hoping and praying that something would trigger her memory and bring it all flooding back. They acted as if she chose a certain food or beverage it would contain the magic potion that would restore her memory - bringing back the Elizabeth Webber they loved so dearly.

Audrey Hardy, her grandmother, wanted her to be the respectful granddaughter that didn't mouth off and lose her temper. The granddaughter that obliged her grandmother and accepted she didn't know enough to make her own decisions.

Lucas Lorenzo Spencer Junior, the boyfriend that wanted her to remember the love they shared, that his name was Lucky and not Stupid. As far as she was concerned, Stupid fit better than Lucky. From what she was told, he wasn't Lucky at all. More like Luckless.

Emily Quartermaine, the best friend, wanting her to be the best friend that she has always been to her. Being the shoulder to cry on, the understanding friend that supports her and helps her see things clearly. The other girl in the Four Musketeers, always handy with the brownies for them to make a wish on.

Then there was Nikolas Cassadine, another friend and a prince to his own country, how interesting - not. He wants her to return to the girl that loved his brother, the girl that made him feel normal, the girl that understood his every fault and accepted him in spite of it all. He wanted his friend and she couldn't give him that...she couldn't give any of them what they wanted.

Nothing seemed to work with those people. They ignored her anger, they spoke to her like she was a child, sedating her when all else failed. Quickly she learnt to be silent. Not speaking, a pure result of not having anything to say. Even then they still didn't give up. They still came back like clock work, never leaving her alone.

What made it a million times worse was the shrinks. Poking and prodding, asking question after question with answers she never got right. Why shouldn't a man living in a glass throw rocks? Wasn't the logical answer because he'd no longer have a house to live in? If he threw the rocks he'd break the glass, thus leaving him homeless if his house is made of glass. Of course it wasn't the right answer. Go figure.

Escaping that brand of hell, she was now walking aimlessly through town, not at all caring that she was getting soaked from the rain pouring down from the clouds above. Others may have cowered away from the cold water falling hard upon the town, seeking refuge inside - away from the bitter cold of the rain - but not her. The rain felt good, it felt like freedom, a fresh start for her.

In that moment, as she's walking through the streets, she understands what Emily had meant about the rain. That a good rainstorm washed away the stresses and the sadness, leaving a person with a clean slate to move forward to a brighter future. At the time, she had thought Emily had lost her mind, but now she gets it because that's how she felt. She was beginning and that was all she wanted. A chance to begin.

"She has to be somewhere around here." Lucky releases a deep sigh. "How hard can it possibly be to find a girl with a blank slate?"

"I don't know, Lucky." his brother, Nikolas shrugs. "But its turning out to be harder than we anticipated. The police have yet to find her either."

She ducked into a back alley, a little pleased that they have yet to figure out where she was. The two passed by the alleyway, turning their conversation to the possibility to her not being in town anymore. Both wondering if it was possible for her to have left on a bus or train. The next comment to come out of Lucky's mouth had her wanting to sock him one good one. She doesn't know her own name, how would she know how to go to get a ticket to anywhere?

"You've gotta give her more credit than that." Nikolas counters, unlocking his car doors. "I mean, she's evaded us thus far...who knows what kind of things she's capable of."

"Whatever." Lucky states, pulling open the passenger door. "Lets go check the street over."

Slowly making her way out of the alley, she watches as the luxury car pulls out into the street and drives away. Seeing them take the turn onto the street over, she decided to take the pathway that seemed strangely familiar, one that would take her onto the docks of the Elm Street Pier.

Her feet move her to sit on the bench, she wonders how many times she has sat on that bench, the familiarity overwhelming. Closing her eyes, she focuses on the calming sound of the water crashing against the lower part of the deck, the feel of the breeze from the water calms her completely.

The rain is still pouring down and she feels the calmest she's felt since waking up. The anger that was usually burning so vibrantly with in her has dulled out. She wasn't sure what pulled her attention to the staircase to her left, but something was telling her to walk up them and she readily obliged. Everything there felt familiar.

"I wonder..." she mulls to herself before reaching to the top of the doorway and finding a key, wondering how she knew it was there. "Huh."

Unlocking the door, she walks inside and turns on the light before closing the door behind her. Maybe she lived there. They did tell her that she loved to paint and that art was her main passion in life. As she walks through the small studio, she finds framed pictures of her and various people she's met since waking up. Mostly Lucky Spencer, understandably since he was her boyfriend, as well as the Four Musketeers. They weren't kidding when they said that they had done everything together.

She sifts through the paintings that are propped up against the wall, not really understanding most of them, but not really judging them either. Continuing through the small studio, she looks at a few of the paintings that are still on easels. They were a little more easier to understand, but still didn't grasp her interest. They weren't kidding though, she really in love with her art, stacks of sketchbooks sit on the small table - each without a single blank page within them.

A part of her wished she could remember, that she could just fall back into another coma and awaken the girl they all wanted. The girl they all loved, but she couldn't and it was pointless to try and become her. To try and be someone she wasn't - someone she'd never be.

"Do you really think she'd be here?" a voice she recognizes as Emily whispers from the other side of the door. "It could be a robber for all we know."

"A robber that would turn on the light." Lucky counters in a hushed tone. "Look, the spare key is missing."

"This doesn't feel right." Emily counters. "It could be anyone in there."

"It doesn't hurt to check." Lucky states, she could hear the sound of the key slipping into the lock.

Glancing at the window, she notices that the rain has stopped, this was her chance to get out through the fire escape. Taking one last look at the place she obviously used to call home, she climbs out the window, softly closing it as the door opens inside. Without a second thought, she scales down the stairs and leaves the way she came. Not sticking around to see the disappointed look on both their faces.

**A/N: Thank you all for your kind words and for those of you that were honest. All of the reviews are appreciated. Can't wait to read what you all thought of this update.**

**- ROCkER -**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

It had been a lot easier to find her than he thought it would be, all he had to do was follow those looking for her. Keeping a safe distance he had found her while she was hiding away from the people looking for her. He had to hand it to her, she was quite resourceful, more resourceful than anyone seems to be giving her credit for.

It brought him back to the days when he first awoken from his coma. He had allowed them to make choices for him, living in a place that felt foreign to him, until the time came that he finally found his own legs to stand on. At least she doesn't have to relearn everything. He'd never wish that on anyone.

"Yeah?" Jason answers his cellphone, watching as she escapes towards the docks. "I'll get there when I get there."

Ending the call, he walks after her, the rain barely registering in his mind as he watches her sitting on the bench. A small smile touches his lips when she closes her eyes, her features smooth out and he can see that she's calm. Probably the calmest she's been since she awoken, at least that would be his guess.

He had been so captivated by her that he missed his chance to approach her. Jason had been getting ready to walk over to her when he noticed her rising from the bench to walk up the stairs. He wouldn't follow her in, it didn't feel right and he went with it. Instead, he waited patiently, knowing she would come out sooner or later. If it felt familiar to her then surely the others would soon be there to see if she returned to it.

Not too long after Jason leans against the stairs, his sister comes walking down it with Lucky Spencer, completely bypassing him without a glance. It was obvious that his sister was worried for her friend, the look on her face had him a little curious about whether or not he was given the whole story.

"How would she know to come here anyway?" Emily counters, walking back down the steps with Lucky, obviously not having found her friend.

"At this point, Em, I just want to find her." Lucky sighs, running one hand through his hair. "I don't care what she remembers and what she doesn't...I just want her back with us where she's safe."

"Jason." Emily stops in her tracks when she sees him. "What are you doing here?"

"Doing what you asked." Jason says simply. "Finding your friend."

"Did you see her?" Emily asks with hope. "Where is she?"

"While you talk to your brother, I'm going to find my girlfriend." Lucky mutters grumpily. "Find me when you decide to stop stooping to asking his kind for help."

"Lucky!" Emily calls after him, shaking her head when he simply throws his hands up and continues up the stairs.

"You have to excuse him...he's just worried." Emily says, walking over to the bench to sit down. "To be honest, we've all be on edge since she disappeared from rehab."

"I want to help you find her." Jason says, walking over to stand in front of her. "But I can't if you don't tell me everything."

"What do you mean?" Emily looks at him, every part of her hoping he doesn't know the truth - for if he does, they'd lose any chance that Elizabeth will return to the girl they all needed her to be.

"I think you know I mean." Jason kneels down in front of her. "She doesn't have her memory, does she?"

"How did you figure it out?" Emily looks at him, her heart aching now that he knew the truth, knowing that he wouldn't help them convince Elizabeth to return to the rehab facility now that she's like him.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Jason counters, looking at her intently. "How can you expect me to help you if you lie to me?"

"I didn't lie." she defends. "I just left out a few things."

"Lying by omission is still lying." Jason reminds her. "You taught me that."

"I know...I'm sorry." Emily sighs, slumping back against the bench. "I guess I just don't want to admit to myself that my best friend is really gone."

"Why can't you give her the same chance you gave me?" Jason counters, taking her hands in his. "She may not be the girl you knew before, but she can still be your friend."

"I guess so." Emily shrugs. "I was just kind of hoping...maybe it would be different this time. I didn't know Jason Quartermaine for that long, but Elizabeth...she's my best friend. We relied on each other for everything."

"Then why not be a friend to her now?" Jason stroking her hands soothingly with his thumbs. "I'm sure she needs you now more than ever."

"What if I can't?" Emily counters. "I'm not sure I can let go of the girl she used to be."

"I'm sure you'll find a way." Jason leans up and kisses her forehead. "The Emily I know would never give up on the people she loves."

Watching from the shadows, she is slightly touched by the scene that has played out before her, wondering if she had that kind of relationship with her own brother before the accident. A part of her would always wonder, that much she was certain on, but she knows she'll never get the chance to know what that felt like. To know that kind of kinship because he was dead and she couldn't change that even if she wanted to.

She remembers visiting his grave, the one time they allowed her out of the rehab facility, and she felt nothing. She had known that the only reason they brought her to the cemetery was to see if it would jog something.

The last thing she wanted was to remember the car accident, to remember the main reason why she was the way she is, but that's what they wanted. They had hoped that remembering the accident would bring back better memories, but all she felt was emptiness.

She watches them hug before she makes her way back out onto the streets. She didn't know where she was headed, but all she did know was that she had to get away from there. So she lets her feet dictate where she goes, not really caring, just walking to walk.

A neon sign catches her eye, Jake's, she feels a pull that has her walking into the establishment. The air inside is musky, smelling of the most rank smell she has smelt since she awoke. Of course, she does prefer this musky smell to the sterilized scents of the hospital and rehab facility. Any smell is better than those smells.

"Pick your poison." the bartender says to her, catching her off guard.

"What?" she looks at him confusedly. Why would she want poison?

"Your drink preference." the bartender says plainly. "What do you want?"

"Nothing." she replies, glancing around the room before looking at the bartender again. "Nothing you can give me, at least."

Walking back to the door, she pulls it open and comes face to face with her self-proclaimed best friend's brother. He stares at her and she stares right back, both not speaking a word, neither moving an inch. Normally this would be the moment she'd search out an exit and book it away from anyone even remotely related to those searching her out, but she doesn't.

His eyes captivate her almost completely, just like hers captivated him. The shade of blue found within his eyes holds her interest longer than anything else has since she woke up in the hospital. He holds his hand out to her and something inside her tells her to take it.

Having gone on instinct alone since leaving the rehabilitation facility, she takes hold of his hand and allows him to guide her out of the bar. She sees his bike and a part of her screams for her to get on it. Pushing away the helmet that he holds out to her, she straddles the bike behind him. Crazy maybe, but so is walking through the rain in a t-shirt and jeans.

Jason wasn't sure what he was doing, merely going on instincts, and so far she has yet to run from him. They get on the bike, though he has the feeling she won't take it, he hands her the helmet regardless. A slight smile touches his lips when she pushes it away, straddling the bike behind him. Starting up the bike, he kicks it off its stand and off they went into the night without a single word exchanged.

**A/N: Your reviews are truly a thing to look forward to. Thank you and I'm eager to read what you think of this update. **

**- ROCkER -**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

A full moon shines down on them as they walk together through the dirt path just over the bridge stretched across Black Stone Canyon. Jason watches her, the observant look in her eyes as she takes in the world around her.

It was almost childlike, a part of him missing the time he used to look at things the way she does. Remembering all the days he had spent just taking in the world around him, completely captivated by the sky - day and night.

"She's not smiling." she finally speaks, standing in front of the stone statue of a little girl. "Her eyes...they're so...empty. Kind of makes me wonder what happened to her to make her like that."

Turning to look at him, she can see that he didn't really understand what she was getting at and, in a way, she didn't either. The words come from her lips before she can truly think it through, making her wonder what kind of thoughts had run through her mind on a daily basis before the accident.

Shaking her head, she continues to walk around the clearing before he can even think to say something in return. He wants to say something, but the words don't form, his mind too wrapped up in her. Standing in front of the statue of the girl, he realizes that he had never noticed the frown that was chiselled into her features. He had never noticed just how empty the eyes looked either. It was like the girl had been staring blankly while she had been sculpted.

Turning his attention away from the statue, he finds her standing in front of the horse statue. She's staring at it so intently, running her fingers over the facial features, using only her finger tips. Jason stands a few feet away, just watching her, wondering what she was thinking about. Wondering what she sees in the statue that he probably never even thought to look at.

"I miss you, Liz." Emily says, staring at a picture of the Four Musketeers. "If the roles were reversed I know you'd be able to do this...to say goodbye to the old me and just be there for whatever person I have become. And maybe this makes me a bad friend, but I just don't know how."

In that moment she feels a hand clasp over her shoulder, taking her by surprise. Looking up to see who it was, Emily was shocked to see Elizabeth standing beside her - the usual look of understanding on her face and she's stunned for a moment.

"You're not a bad friend." Elizabeth smiles slightly, kneeling down beside her. "You've just been through a lot. You're not ready to let go, but you will. I know you will."

"How?" Emily pleads with her to give her the answers. "How do I let go of the best friend I've ever had?"

"You'll figure it out." Elizabeth's voice holds so much confidence that it has Emily at awe. "You're an amazing person with a huge heart, Emily Quartermaine. You'll find a way to be the friend she needs."

"This is really happening, isn't it?" Emily feels tears well up in her eyes. "You're really not coming back."

"I'm still gonna be with you, Em." Elizabeth puts her hand over Emily's heart. "In here...I'll always be with you in your heart."

"What if its not enough?" Emily challenges, her heart aching to keep this version of her friend alive. "What if I can't look at her without wanting you back? What if I'm not as great as you and Jason think I am?"

"You are." Elizabeth promises, gently wiping away her tears. "I know you are...and soon you will too."

"Goodbye, Elizabeth." Emily blubbers through her tears. "I'll always miss you."

"I'll never be too far away." Elizabeth promises, standing once again. "All you have to do is close your eyes and think of all the good times we shared. The memories will help you let go and see that its okay to live your life."

"You'll always be my best friend." Emily wraps her arms around her, searching for the strength to let go, but knowing that it'll be a long while before that happens. "Always."

"And you'll always be mine." Elizabeth pulls away, smiling slightly. "You have a huge heart, Quartermaine, use it."

Slowly her eyes open, tears streaming down her face like a river of emotions. Sitting up in bed, she turns on the lamp on the side table, taking the framed picture of her and Elizabeth into her hands. She wished she had that kind of confidence in herself that Elizabeth had in her - that Jason still has in her. She just wasn't sure she was strong enough or if she'd ever be strong enough.

"So you were just like me?" Elizabeth looks at him intently as they sit on the railing of the bridge, their feet dangling on either side. "Did your brother die?"

"No." Jason concedes. "He didn't die."

"Mine did." Elizabeth says, turning to look out at the abyss. "They won't tell me what happened...they say that I need to remember on my own."

"I don't get it." Jason watches her as she closes her eyes, taking a deep breath in. "Why do they tell you about everything else and not the accident?"

"For me to answer that would require me to actually understand them." Elizabeth replies, taking in the feel of the breeze as it blows against her. "Which I don't."

"Have you thought about what you're gonna do?"

"No." she sadly admits. "All I know is what I'm not going to do and I'm not going to go back."

"Its a start." Jason gives her that much. "But you're gonna need somewhere to stay."

"I'll figure it out." Elizabeth says simply. "As long as its my life, I can take it wherever I want it to go."

"I get that, believe me, I do." Jason says, being brought back to the man he used to be. "Look, I've got more than enough room at my place. Why don't you use it as a starting point and work from there?"

"You're willing to let me live with you?" Elizabeth was trying to figure him out, but he was another phenomena that just was too complex for her. "Why?"

"Why not?" he counters, arching his eyebrow. "Its just a place."

"Okay, but first..." Elizabeth eyes him intently. "Why shouldn't a man that lives in a glass house throw rocks?"

"They asked you that too, huh?"

"Yeah." Elizabeth concedes. "What was your answer?"

"He wouldn't have a house to live in." Jason admits, looking at her curiously when her smile turns into a smirk. "What was yours?"

"The same." Elizabeth shakes her head. "You'd think it was the logical answer, but they told me I was wrong and giving me the answer was just too easy."

"I know." he assures, hopping off the railing after she does. "It basically means don't point out flaws in others when you've got flaws of your own."

"You see, that I get." Elizabeth rolls her eyes, shoving her hands in her pockets as they walk back to the bike. "So, this place of yours, how much room do you have exactly?"

"Only one way to find out." Jason holds out his hand to her after he straddles the bike. "What do you say?"

She stares into his eyes for a moment, her instincts pushing her to take hold of his hand, straddling the bike behind him. Once her arms wrap around him, Jason starts up the bike and they take off once again, riding into the night. Neither knew just how much their lives were about to change, but they both knew that nothing would be the same. Something primal, deep within themselves, told them that they have both taken a huge step towards something.

**A/N: Thank you for your reviews. I appreciate the advice and tips, but this is my writing style. I'm working on it, yes, but I'm trying to perfect it on my own. I honestly appreciate your reviews. Thank you!**

**- ROCkER -**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

The world is blanketed in a white coat, her feet walking her over the bridge, through the dirt path that leads to the clearing. She can barely feel herself moving, but she knows she is because the stone statue of the girl starts to get closer and closer.

Everything is motionless around her, peaceful and serene, putting her in this tranquil state of being. The statue is not as clear as it had been when she last saw it. Its as if her vision is slightly blurred, but she knows she has to clear it up, to see the statue - the importance of it.

Finally coming face to face with the statue, her vision becomes crystal clear, every chiselled detail is visible for her to see. For a moment she's captivated by the emptiness of the girl's eyes, drawn into the vastness that lays within them, finding herself drawing parallels between her and the statue.

Taking a deep breath, she finds her attention diverted to the book that is being held in the girls arms. The words etched in stone begin to glow as if a light shine upon it, prompting her to read the words and truly ponder what they meant. Something inside her telling her it was something she needed to learn. Something she needed to take to her heart.

The vision begins to slip as she feels herself being pulled from the world around her. Everything starts to fade and she realizes that something stronger was pulling her back. Her eyes blink away the haze of the slumber she had been in, returning her back to a state of consciousness.

Voices float up to her, voices she recognizes, one in particular she wasn't too fond of. Slipping into the t-shirt he lent her, she makes her steps light as she walks out of the guest bedroom, keeping her presence hidden as she gets close enough to make out the words being exchanged.

"Listen, Anger Boy, I don't care what kind of sick twisted lines you've drawn in that simple mind of yours that makes you feel one with her." the cop says condescendingly. "The girl needs help. Real help. Not some thug love, mob infested, version that you probably concocted."

"Taggert." his partner's face giving away his disapproval. "Stick to the point."

While the cops exchange a look, her attention is diverted to Jason. Even against the words of the detective, he remains stoic, unmoved and unaffected by their words or their presence. She can see that Taggert was the polar opposite. He was angry with Jason for remaining silent. Angry that he couldn't get to Jason the way Jason was obviously getting to him.

"Morgan, I can understand why you'd want to help her, but she has a family that deserves the chance to be there for her." the partner says firmly. "Just because you turned away from your family, it doesn't mean she has to. Let us take her back to them and let them help her heal from this. They already lost her brother, don't let them suffer any more than they already are."

"I don't know what language I have to put this in for you to understand me, detectives." Jason's voice is plain, almost bored. "The girl you're looking for isn't here and, unless you have a warrant, you're not stepping foot in my penthouse."

"You're just making things harder on yourself." Taggert comments through tight lips. "We'll get that warrant and maybe even find a reason to put your ass behind bars in the process. What do you think about that kingpin of the brain damaged thugs?"

"Your chances of finding a judge that will sign your warrant is about the same as your chances of ever putting me behind bars." Jason's voice is almost tauntingly cold. "Now get out of my building."

She waits for him to slam the door shut before making her presence known. Their eyes lock and for a moment neither speak, they still have yet to get used to being utterly captivated by the other. Her mind is flooded by the image from her dreams, prompting the words to flow from her mouth before she has time to think it through.

"Can you take me to the statue of the girl?" she asks, catching him off guard. "I can't explain why, but I need to see it again."

"Sure." Jason stops her from walking to the door. "After you put on some pants."

Looking down at herself, it dawns on her that she was in nothing but his t-shirt. With a shrug, she walks back up the stairs to the guest bedroom to throw on the pants he leant her. It looked like it would swallow her whole if she pulled it up high enough, but it did the trick.

While she's upstairs getting dressed for the venture to the clearing just past the bridge, he sits in the living room, mulling through the many thoughts that cloud his mind. Every part of him knew that the cops were just the tip of the iceberg in the situation he has found himself in. Though he prefers being left alone, hating the idea of what will undoubtedly start happening, Jason won't give them what they want. He just couldn't.

Everything inside of him tells him that she doesn't belong with them. That, as crazy as it sounded, she belonged right where she is...with him. Of course it was her decision, he'd never be the one to take that away from her, but he could only hope that she felt the same pull that he does. As unexplainable as it may be, he felt it - strong and persistently.

"Someone saw her with him." Audrey Hardy states firmly, trying her best to keep her posture. "There has to be something you can do! My granddaughter does not belong with that man."

"We are doing all we can, Mrs. Hardy, but there is only so much the department can do for your granddaughter." Mac says respectfully. "Until we are certain, without a doubt, that your granddaughter is with Jason Morgan, we cannot and will not violate his rights."

"He is a mobster, his rights shouldn't matter more than my granddaughter's safety." Audrey says angrily. "You need to get my granddaughter back."

"Even if we manage to come face to face with your granddaughter, Mrs. Hardy, with all due respect, she has her own rights." Mac points out. "She's of legal age. We cannot force her to return if that is not what she wants. We can try and convince her to return home to your family, but my department cannot force her to return."

"She has no memory of who she is." Audrey says for the hundredth time. "She is not in the right mind to take care of herself. That gives you the right to do whatever it takes to ensure her safety."

"The doctors all think that she is of sound mind and body." Mac had wished he'd never see another case like this and yet here it was. "We'll do what we can, Mrs. Hardy, but I cannot violate your granddaughter's rights anymore than I can violate yours."

He's standing to the side, watching as she kneels down in front of the stone book in the statue's arms. She gently reaches out and runs her fingers over the wording chiselled into the stone. Something in her features had him wondering what was written on the stone - yet another thing he didn't notice before.

"It is not what you look at that matters." she says aloud, staring at the writing on the stone. "It is what you see."

Standing up, she turns to look at what was left of the old estate and a thought came to her, an idea of sorts. With a slight smile she rises from the ground, turning her entire body to look at it, and it doesn't take long for her to be content in her decision. All that was left was finding a starting point.

"Not what I'm looking at." she mutters to herself, glancing around the clearing. "But what I see."

"What do you see?" Jason finds himself asking, drawn into the emotion that seeps into her voice.

"A new beginning." Elizabeth smiles slightly, turning to look at him. "I see a new beginning."

**A/N: Thank you, thank you, thank you for the reviews!**

**For those who asked, the accident has yet to be truly detailed, and it will be uncovered as the story progresses.**

**- ROCkER -**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Take me as I am or not at all. Jason's words echoed through her head as she flipped through the books and news articles he had so generously gotten for her from the library. With his help she has figured out exactly where she was going to start. It wouldn't be easy. It was going to be the hardest thing she has ever faced, not that she had much to compare it to, but she's not looking for easy. She's looking for a start and this was it.

"Do you have everything you need?" Jason secures his gun at the small of his back before shrugging into the suit jacket. "Anything you need before I go?"

"I'm all set." Elizabeth assures him, pulling her attention from the book in front of her to look at him. "Huh. What are you wearing?"

"Its a suit." Jason watches as she shrugs before picking up the book once again. "What?"

"It doesn't look like something you'd wear." Elizabeth concedes, flipping through the pages, trying to find whatever information she could on the old estate. "Then again I don't know you, so it could be you."

"You were right the first time." Jason walks over to sit on the arm of the club chair. "I wear these for show...part of my job."

"Okay." she highlights a couple sentences before flipping the page. "You mentioned that the land where the old estate used to stand belongs to the police, right?"

"Not the police. The bank."

"Right." Elizabeth shakes her head, diverting her gaze to look at him. "How do I go about taking claim of something that belongs to the bank?"

"Call their offices and see if they're willing to sell it to you." Jason watches as she jots down a reminder to call the bank. "You just have to find out which bank owns it first and go from there."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Okay, so, Johnny and Max are just outside if you need anything." Jason knows she's listening even if she's not looking at him anymore, continuing without a response from her. "They'll take you wherever you need to go and get you whatever you need."

"I'm not using your money." Elizabeth folds her legs beneath her. "I'll be fine. You can go now."

"My number's by the phone in case you need me." Jason pulls open the door, taking one last look at her before he has to go. "Just...be careful if you leave here. I don't want anything to happen to you."

Elizabeth looks up at him, understanding seeping into her features as she looks at him intently. There was something in his words, in the way he looked at her, that had her smiling her reassurance. Whatever was happening in that moment, neither could really describe, but they both accepted that they just are what they are - no need for the words that define.

"I'll be fine." she says, her voice softer as she smiles at him. "Don't worry about me."

"I'll worry if I want." Jason smirks, granting her a nod before walking out of the penthouse and closing the door behind him, coming face to face with Johnny O'Brien. "With your life, you got that?"

"Got it." Johnny assures, finding the undeniable look of something indescribable in his eyes.

Rising from her seat on the couch, she walks the distance to the sound system in the display case by the stairs, wondering if she'd like anything he had. There were some discs that she was sure did not belong to him, but she wouldn't think much on them. Instead of having to decide which to choose, she closes her eyes and lets her hands do the picking, snatching a disc from lot and slipping it into the tray.

Blasting the music, she found that she liked the thumping beats of the album, returning to her spot on the couch to continue her research. There was still a lot she had to learn before she starts making calls and putting her everything into this task.

"If anyone can understand what I am going through it is you and yours." Audrey says almost pleadingly, showing her desperation vibrantly. "Please, anything you can do to bring my granddaughter home to me...it'll be greatly appreciated, Monica. Please."

"You have my word, Audrey." Monica claps her hands over her long standing family friend's. "My family and I will do whatever it takes to help you. Not only because we know what you're going through, but because we too care for your granddaughter. She was such a lovely young woman."

"She really was." Audrey agrees, fighting off the tears that are welling up in her eyes. "Thank you, so much. You'll never know just how much this means to me."

"I'm sure I do." Monica smiles, rubbing her hand soothingly. "It's going to be okay, Audrey."

Emily can see the pain on Audrey's face, she was suffering, something that Emily could relate to. Losing Steven had hit both the Webber/Hardy family and the Quartermaines, the thought of losing Elizabeth on top of that must be a hard pill to swallow. Not ready to face the older woman while her mind is still conflicted between acceptance and letting go, Emily makes her exit a silent one, returning to her bedroom.

"It truly was beautiful." Elizabeth comments, staring at a picture of the old estate when it was first built. "I wonder if I can find the family that used to live there...get a true feeling for what the place was like."

Setting the picture down on the stack of papers, she stands up and stretches her tight muscles. A part of her was starting to miss her physical therapy, her body always feels its best when she's exercising and her physical therapist had been great at coming up with new things for her to do.

"Ms. Webber?" the one she knows as Johnny sticks his head in the door after having knocked.

"Its Elizabeth." she says before he can continue. "Don't use that surname when referring to me."

"Right. Of course." Johnny shakes his head, realizing he should have known that. "Well, Elizabeth, you have a visitor in the lobby. Nikolas Cassadine."

"Don't know him." Elizabeth says, picking up a news article. "Jason said to ask you for a ride if I needed one and I need to get some clothes from that place I used to live."

"I can take you whenever you're ready."

"I'm ready now." Elizabeth tosses the news article down on the table. "The sooner I get clothes that fit me, the better."

"Would you like us to remove your visitor from the building before we get down to the lobby?" Johnny asks, closing the door behind her once she walks out into the hall.

"Doesn't matter to me." Elizabeth shrugs, walking onto the elevator once the doors open. "Do what you want."

They make their way down to the lobby, finding Nikolas standing at the entrance to the building, unmoving under the watchful gazes of the lobby guards. Elizabeth walks up to him, Johnny and Max a few feet behind, eyeing him intently before speaking.

"What do you want?" she voices bluntly, no emotion clouding her features, unlike the man standing before her.

"I just wanted to see if you were okay." Nikolas concedes, his heart aching slightly at the sight of her. "We've all been looking for you, literally everywhere, but now I see you really didn't want to be found."

"I was never lost." Elizabeth counters, unsure of the right thing to say or what she should be feeling, but she was sorry for him. For all of them. "The girl you're looking for...she's not me."

"I know." Nikolas sadly admits. "I knew it the moment you woke up and said you didn't know any of us...I guess I just wasn't ready to let go of the girl I knew. The girl I loved like family."

"Why are you here?" she asks, the look in his eyes confusing her profusely. "If you let go of the girl you loved, what are you doing here?"

"I was hoping to start over." Nikolas admits, hoping she won't turn him away. "Maybe find a way to be friends."

"Maybe." Elizabeth replies, not at all sure if she was ready to create a bridge between her and the prince. "I'm leaving now. You know the way out."

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews.**

**Let me know what you think!**

**- ROCkER -**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

How do you look at the person you are so desperately in love with and accept that its time to let go? Staring at the pictures of them, happy and in love, Lucky Spencer found that his heart was broken beyond any sense of repair. The woman he loved, the one that he so desperately wanted back, was lost to the chaos created because of one person. Steven Webber.

It was wrong to speak ill of the dead, but its Steven's fault that he lost the love of his life. Its her brother's fault that he will no longer be able to hold her in his arms, to see the warmth that used to radiate in her eyes whenever she looked at him, or hear her say she loved him beyond compare. A permanent lock shattered because of Steven.

"Lucky?" the voice of Elizabeth's sister breaks through his thoughts. "Hey."

"What are you doing here, Sarah?" Lucky questions, his hands clasped together, staring at a picture of him and Elizabeth while he sits in the church they had said their vows of love.

"I was worried about you." Sarah concedes, standing in front of him. "You haven't answered any of my calls or texts...I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"How can I be okay?" Lucky looks at her coldly. "The girl I love is shacked up with a gangster. Unless you can give me back the love of my life, you've wasted your time looking for me."

"Lucky." her voice pleading, sadness lining her words. "Please."

"Please what?" Lucky glares at her, not having the patience to deal with the sister. "Look, I'm not in the mood right now. Just leave."

"No." she says sternly. "I'm not leaving you like this."

"Fine." Lucky rises to his feet, getting her face. "Stay if you want. I'm leaving."

"Lucky!" Sarah snaps, grabbing his arm, stopping him from leaving. "Stop running!"

"What do you want from me?" Lucky snaps, angry with her blatant disregard for what he wants. "Why don't you just go bother Nikolas? You're so damn in love with him..."

"God! Can't you see it?" Sarah states, framing his face in her hands. "I'm in love with you, Lucky! You not Nikolas!"

"Yeah, well that's unfortunate for you." Lucky pries her hands from his face, pushing them away with a firm force. "I'm in love with your sister."

"She's gone and she's never coming back!" Sarah points out angrily. "You have to get over her sometime or you'll kill yourself slowly with the want."

"Same can be said about you." Lucky counters, snatching his jacket from the pew. "I don't want you, Sarah, I never will. Stop trying to find love where there's none."

Watching him walk out of the church, Sarah's tears fall like rain, dropping to her knees as her body shakes with heartache. She loved him so fiercely, she's loved him for so long, she didn't know how she was going to let go of that love.

Closing her eyes, she clasps her hands together, praying a selfish prayer - praying that her sister's memory never returns and he feels the kind of pain that she feels in that moment. That his heart breaks completely, that he drowns in every last drop of sadness he deserves.

"Port Charles Hotel, please." Robin Scorpio tells the taxi driver, buckling up before staring out the window at her hometown.

"You got it." the driver replies, flipping on the meter before pulling out of the airport parking lot.

Every part of her felt like this was the best move, returning back to Port Charles, back to the people she loves. She has missed Mac terribly, Paris just wasn't doing it for her anymore, she had to come back. As she looks at the town a small smile touches her lips, not much has changed and she loved that about her town.

Being as excited as she was, Robin has made a list of people she was dying to see. A part of her was sad when she found out that Sonny wasn't in town, dropping off the radar months ago, but she took refuge in the fact that he wasn't in danger.

Of course her relief was matched with her concern for Jason. With Sonny off the radar, it meant that Jason was now at the top of the organization, the precise last thing she ever wanted for him. As much as she loved Sonny, she wanted Jason out from that kind of responsibility.

"On second thought, could you make it Harborview Towers instead?" Robin asks the driver, suddenly needing to see for herself that Jason was okay.

"Sure thing." the driver responds, not one to complain since it was on her buck.

Content on where she was headed, Robin settles back against her seat, anxiously waiting to see him again. They didn't exactly leave things on a high note, but she was hopeful that he'll be happy to see her. No matter what happened in the end, she's sure that they still had their friendship.

"Good evening, Miss Scorpio." Ritchie greets her in the lobby. "Here to see Jason?"

"Yes, actually." Robin smiles politely, the look in his eyes confusing her slightly. "Is he here?"

"Yeah." Ritchie glances at the elevator before looking at her again. "Mick will show you up."

"Great." Robin grants him a nod before carrying her bags to the elevator, heading up to the top floor with Mick. "How long have you been working for Jason?"

"Eleven months, ma'am." the guard replies simply, not even glancing at her.

"I'll take it from here, Mick." Johnny says when the elevator doors open. "You can go back to your post."

The guard she rode up with presses the button to close the doors once again after Robin exits the elevator. The look she had seen in Ritchie's eyes can now be found in Johnny's and that had her even more curious. What was going on with the guards?

She waits to be announced, used to that part of visiting by now, walking in once Johnny gives her the okay. As her gaze connects with Jason's, she's suddenly nervous, almost jumping out of her skin when the door closes behind her.

"Hi." she says softly, merely wanting to break the ice, rid the room of the silence that filled it.

"Hi." he replies back, not moving from his spot by the couch, standing completely still. "I didn't know you were coming back to town."

"I didn't either." Robin admits, dropping her bags to the side. "I heard Sonny was out of town."

"Yeah." Jason concedes. "He needed some time."

"Yeah, no, I get it." Robin says, hating herself for being so nervous. "How are you handling things?"

"What do you mean?" Jason looks at her intently, something in her eyes has him a little taken aback.

"With Sonny out of town, doesn't that mean you're in charge?"

"Yes."

"Jason..." Robin takes a deep breath. "I'm just wondering if its fair to you...for him to put that kind of responsibility on your lap."

"It is what it is."

Elizabeth was standing at the top of the steps, dressed for dinner and a ride, watching the exchange between the two. Jason's posture told her that there was something between the two. Its the way Lucky stood during the last month she spent in the facility. She couldn't help but wonder if they were still connected.

"Elizabeth." he calls to her as she's about to walk back up the stairs. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah." Elizabeth concedes, walking down the steps, her hand gripping tight to her jacket. "I can wait upstairs until you're done though."

"No, its okay." Jason shakes his head. "This is just a friend. Robin this is Elizabeth."

"Nice to meet you." Robin says, now understanding the look in both the guards' eyes.

"You too, I guess." Elizabeth replies, turning to look at Jason. "Are you sure you don't need more time with your friend?"

"Just a few minutes." Jason assures, opening the door for Elizabeth. "Johnny'll take you down to the car and I'll be right down."

"Okay." Elizabeth glances between the two before following Johnny onto the elevator and heading down to the parking garage.

Jason watches as the elevator doors close before closing the door to the penthouse. He still needed to secure a few things before he could meet up with her at the car, that of which should give him the time he needs to talk to Robin.

"Is it okay to ask who that was?"

"A friend." Jason says simply, grabbing his gun and securing it at his back before sliding into his suit jacket. "I'm sorry to rush things, but we made plans for dinner earlier today."

"Its okay." Robin can see that there was more to it, but she wouldn't push. "I still have to settle in and unpack. Will you be busy tomorrow?"

"Not really." Jason shoves his keys into his pocket before standing in front of her. "Why?"

"I was thinking we could have dinner and catch up." Robin smiles slightly when a soft smile touches his lips. "I haven't seen you in a while and I'd really like to talk."

"Sure." Jason gives in. "Dinner sounds good."

"Great."

"Come on, we can go down together and then I'll have Ritchie give you a ride." Jason says as he pulls open the door.

The ride down to the lobby was done in silence, Robin wanted to ask him about Elizabeth, but accepts that it would have to wait. Once they are in the lobby, Jason asks Ritchie to give her a ride and make sure that she gets there safely. When he adds that part, she can't help but be touched that he still worries about her.

"I'm glad you're back." Jason concedes, walking back onto the elevator to head down to the garage. "I'm sure Mac will be happy to see you."

"See you later, Jason." Robin looks at him intently, holding back the words she wanted to say. "I hope you have good night."

"Any night that ends on my motorcycle is a good night." Jason replies, waving slightly as the doors close.

"I know the feeling." Robin says to herself before allowing Ritchie to take her bags and lead her out to the car waiting out front.

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews.**

**Let me know what you think!**

**- ROCkER -**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

Sitting across from each other, a comfortable silence upon them, Jason and Elizabeth have yet to say anything to each other since they got in the car at the parking garage of Harborview Towers. The guards have skilfully positioned themselves close enough in case something happens, but far away enough to avoid the possibility of eavesdropping and having their ass handed to them by Jason.

Dinner coming to an end, Jason sets his fork down, smiling slightly when a slow song starts playing. She simply glances at the dance floor, seeing couples rise from their seats to dance together, before returning her attention to the dessert in front of her.

Rising to his feet, he holds his hand out to her, arching his eyebrow in question. Her eyes find his and she isn't sure she wants to attempt something so utterly public. For a moment she just sits there, looking between him and the dance floor before she finally speaks.

"I don't know how." she gives as her excuse. "I'll make you look bad."

"You couldn't even if you tried." Jason assures, taking her hand in his. "Come on. I'll teach you."

"If you insist." she rises to her feet, using her other hand to smooth out her blouse. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

"Dully noted." Jason smiles slightly, guiding her to the corner of the dance floor where there weren't any couples. "Ready?"

With a nod of confirmation, he shows her where to place her hands before showing her the simple steps of slow dancing. She picks it up quickly, like he predicted, and they hold each other close as they sway to the music.

Johnny smiles to himself as he watches them, every part of him glad that they had each other - but more importantly, Jason has her. He had been there after things ended between Jason and Robin, it had been the hardest thing to witness, he had never seen anyone so broken. Apart from Sonny, of course.

If it were up to him, Johnny would make sure that Jason and Robin never got back together. Mostly because he knows that Robin wasn't meant for the life. No amount of convincing done by Jason or herself will change that. Sooner or later she'll want him out of the business and Jason will never be able to give her that.

By the end of the completely futile battle, Jason and Robin will end and it will crush Jason to have to say goodbye once again. To let go that love again and it will be harder for him to recover. It was possible that Johnny was wrong about this girl, but he feels like this could be the love to surpass all loves. He just needs to keep them together long enough for them to figure it out for themselves.

"See." Jason whispers, gently stroking the small of her back with his fingers. "This isn't so bad, is it?"

"I actually like it." Elizabeth pulls back to look at him. "Thank you."

Robin walks into her uncle's house, hanging up her purse and coat before finding him in the kitchen. After exchanging pleasantries, Robin washes her hands and joins him in cooking dinner. At least this part hasn't changed. Her uncle and the girls, her home life is still the same.

"I'm sorry, I have to get this." Mac apologizes before answering his phone, his facial features becoming scrunched up from stress. "Yes, I understand. I'll take care of it in the morning."

"Everything okay?" Robin asks as he tosses his cellphone on the counter. "You look stressed."

"Its just this girl, Elizabeth Webber." Mac sighs, putting the tray into the oven. "Her family is doing whatever they can to get her back in the rehab facility and they're going to whatever lengths they have to...even as far as the mayor."

"I don't understand."

"I forgot you don't know about the Webber girl." Mac washes his hands before looking at her. "Elizabeth Webber was in a car accident with her brother Steven Webber. He was dead by the time medics arrived while Elizabeth went into a coma and awoken without her memory."

"You mean like Jason?"

"Exactly." Mac concedes. "Somehow he found himself in the position to help her and now Audrey is trying anything to get her granddaughter away from Jason and back in the facility."

"Wow." Robin was completely shocked by the revelation. "That's so sad."

"In my opinion, they should just give the girl some breathing room." Mac admits, walking to his fridge and grabbing a soda. "If the Audrey is anything like the Quartermaines and Elizabeth is anything like Jason, history is bound to repeat itself."

Getting back to the parking garage of Harborview Towers, Jason and Elizabeth straddle the bike while the guards make their way back to their stations within the building. Johnny stood there for a moment longer, watching as they started up the bike and took off into the night. It was a sight to behold, Jason smiling and honestly enjoying himself.

While Johnny walked into the building, the two make their way up to the bridge, parking the bike just past it. It was a beautiful night, one of which they took the time to admire, the stars catching their attention for a long while before they continue on through the dirt path. The moon, once again, lights their path as they walk to the statues.

"I wish I could see things the way you do." Jason finds himself admitting as she runs her fingers over the quote that started her plans for the estate. "After my accident I lost the ability to dream...to see two dimensional things the way they're meant to be seen."

"I lost some things too." Elizabeth admits, turning to look at him. "She used to sketch and paint, it was her passion, but I couldn't even create one to save my life."

"Are you sad about that?"

"Not really." Elizabeth shrugs, walking the distance to him. "I've found that there is more ways to express yourself artistically than paintings and drawings."

"Like sculpting?"

"Sure." Elizabeth shakes her head. "And creating something from nothing...rebuilding something destroyed...breathing life back into something long since forgotten."

"The way you want to do with this place?"

"Exactly." Elizabeth stares up at him, smiling brightly. "I guess, in a way, I want to rebuild this place as a symbol of rebuilding my life. Brick by brick, I want to bring life back into this old estate."

"You see things so differently than I do." Jason closes the distance between, reaching up to gently cup her cheek in the palm of his hand. "So beautifully."

"Its strange." Elizabeth whispers, staring into his eyes. "Interesting, but strange."

"What is?"

"I want to kiss you." Elizabeth says simply, surprising him a little, but he's used to her bluntness by now. "I've met a lot of guys since I woke up, but you're the only one I actually have an urge to kiss."

"Can I?"

"If you want to." Elizabeth can hear her heartbeat in her ears, can practically feeling it pounding in her chest. "Sure."

Jason moves slowly, staring into her eyes all the while, before finally claiming her lips with his. As their lips move together, both their eyes slide closed, simply feeling everything that was surging through them. Elizabeth's emotions are all tangled up, she has never felt so many emotions all at once and it excited her. Jason, on the other hand, was drowning in her essence. If breathing had not become essential, he doubts he'd ever pull away.

"I really liked that." Elizabeth smiles, laying her forehead against his. "Thank you."

"Anytime."

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews.**

**Let me know what you think!**

**- ROCkER -**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Sifting through the stuff from the studio she had relinquished, Elizabeth pulls out a small leather bound book. Running her fingers over the face of the book, she has a strange sense of familiarity when she touches it. The strange feeling prompts her to set the box down and fold her legs beneath her.

"I'm heading out." Jason's voice stops her from opening the book. "You gonna be okay?"

"Sure." she sets the book down before walking over to him. "You look sharp."

"Thanks." he smiles slightly, shrugging into his suit jacket.

"Do you love her?" she questions, arching her eyebrow.

"What?" he looks at her confusedly, unable to believe that she just asked him that.

"Its a simple question." she says, walking over to his closet and pulling out a tie. "If you love her, you should probably put this on."

"I'm not wearing a tie." Jason takes it from her hands before tossing it back in the closet, shutting the door firmly. "I look fine."

"Obviously." she shrugs, looking at him intently when he stands in front of her again. "I simply wanted you to look perfect for your date."

"Its not a date."

"Its not?"

"No." Jason sighs, running one hand down his face. "I'm just having dinner with a friend."

"No offence, but she didn't look like she was just a friend." Elizabeth walks back over to the couch. "My brain may be scrambled, but even I can tell you both have feelings for each other."

"Hey." Jason walks over to kneel down in front of her. "She's just a friend."

"Maybe now, but not always." she picks up the leather bound book again. "Its okay, really. Who am I to judge, right?"

"How much clearer do I have to be?" Jason asks, stopping her from opening the book. "There may have been something there before, but she's just a friend."

"You don't have to explain yourself to me." Elizabeth assures, removing his hands from atop hers. "Its okay if you still love her."

"I'll be home by ten." Jason stands up, knowing it was a futile argument.

"Okay." she flips open the book, arching her eyebrow at the word "Diary" written on the first page. "Johnny asked me to join him and some of the guards tonight anyway."

"Wait...what?"

"They're hanging out at a bar called Jake's, I think." Elizabeth shrugged. "Sounds like fun."

"Right." Jason says through tight lips, double checking his gun before securing it at the small of his back.

"Have fun on your date." she calls to him, flipping the page to the first entry, it was clearly a recently broken in diary - not a lot of entries.

"Its not a date." he states, pulling open the door. "Be careful when you go out."

"Only if you admit its a date." Elizabeth counters, looking up from the diary. "Come on, its not that hard."

"Its not a date."

"Whatever you say." Elizabeth smiles slightly, returning her attention to the book. "Goodbye, Jason."

"Bye." he says, walking out of the penthouse and closing the door firmly behind him, coming face to face with Johnny. "Anything happens to her..."

"I'm a dead man." Johnny finishes his sentence. "I got it."

"You better." Jason states, jabbing the down button.

"Go have fun on your date." Johnny says simply. "I'll take care of Elizabeth."

"Its not a date." Jason snaps before getting on the elevator and leaving the building.

Elizabeth flips through the diary, unable to believe what she was reading. A part of her didn't know what to think or how to feel about the words that were written. Glancing at the door, she wonders if Jason knew, if he even suspected any of what was written.

**Dear Diary,**

**I met Emily's brother for the first time today. Okay, okay, maybe that's not true. I have seen him around town.**  
**Who hasn't, right? But its the first time he ever noticed me for even a second. Lucky's threatened by him. I don't**  
**get it, but he is...**

**Dear Diary,**

**Lucky's starting to act strange. He's becoming distant and it feels like he's growing bored with me.**  
**Emily and Nikolas are trying to convince me that I'm imagining it, but I know...I can feel it. Something's**  
**different with us. I just don't know what...**

**Dear Diary,**

**The more time I've gotten to myself, I'm starting to have thoughts I never thought I'd have. I'm having thoughts about**  
**another guy. A guy that isn't Lucky. A guy that Emily would kill me for having feelings over. A guy named, Jason Morgan.**  
**As crazy as it seems, I've been watching him, drawn in by him. I hate that I'm starting to want him, but I can't help it.**  
**Its not like he gives me the time of day. He barely notices me. Lucky's distance has to be the reason I'm feeling this way.**  
**It has to be.**

**Dear Diary,**

**Jason actually spoke to me today. He opened up a side of him that I never knew existed. As if I needed more reason to**  
**like him more than I already do. I hate myself for missing him when he walked out of the diner. This isn't supposed to happen.**  
**Lucky's my life. He's the love of my life. Isn't he?**

**Dear Diary,**

**Something's going on with Steven. I don't know what, but I have a feeling he's going to need my help. If not mine then someone**  
**else's. I hate this more than anything, not being able to get it out of him, but I'm not giving up. My relationship issues aside, I have**  
**to be there for Steven. No matter what.**

**Dear Diary,**

**I hate even thinking it, much less writing it, but I'm pretty sure Lucky's cheating on me. I don't know who he's cheating on me with, but**  
**I know he is. Steven is trying to convince me to leave him. That if I believe Lucky's cheating on me, he probably is and maybe my brother's right.**  
**Maybe its time to finally call it quits. To finally leave him. The only problem being, I don't know who I am if I don't love Lucky. I've loved him for so**  
**long, I don't know how to not love him.**

Shutting the book firmly, Elizabeth puts it back in the box. Reading the diary, nothing clicked, no memories came up or anything. The girl she used to be still fascinates her and she has yet to truly decipher the complex mind of her former self. Storing the box in the closet, she gets up to get ready for a night out. Anything to get her mind off the memories she can't remember and the life she no longer lives.

"Jason, hi." Robin stands up to greet him as he gets to their table. "I'm glad you could make it."

"I said I'd have dinner with you." Jason says simply, hugging her slightly. "You look nice."

"You too." Robin replies, taking her seat again. "So how have you been?"

"I've been good." Jason says, settling into his seat. "I've been focusing on running the business mostly."

"Do you know if Sonny's coming back?" Robin asks just as his cellphone rings.

"No I don't." Jason pulls out his cellphone, apologizing before answering it. "Morgan...I'll be right there."

"Leaving already?"

"Yeah, sorry." Jason stands up. "It can't wait."

"Business?"

"No." Jason shakes his head. "Personal."

Getting into the SUV, he drives as fast as he can to get to the bridge. Parking just past it, Jason leaves the lights on as he walks over to where she's standing. She was dressed for a night out, that much he was sure of, but not dressed to be out here at this time of night.

"She had a crush on you." Elizabeth says, not turning to look at him, simply staring at the statue.

"Robin?"

"No." she sighs, wrapping her arms around herself. "The girl I used to be...did you know that?"

"I didn't know." he says as he turns her around to look at him. "I swear, I didn't know."

"Is it supposed to be a coincidence that I want to be with you?" she asks, staring at him intently.

"Why does it matter if she had a crush on me?" Jason asks, trying to figure out what this was about. "She's gone...we're here. What we want now...in this moment...is all that matters."

"Right." Elizabeth shakes her head. "Forget I said anything...my head's just all over the place right now."

"Why don't we go home and just hangout?" Jason suggests, rubbing his hands up and down her arm to keep her warm. "I'll order pizza and we can talk, okay?"

"Okay." Elizabeth allows him to walk her to his car. "I love it out here...its so peaceful."

"I know." Jason helps her into the car. "I'll help you figure things out. You can talk to me, you know that right?"

"I know." Elizabeth smiles slightly. "What happened to your date?"

"It wasn't a date."

"Okay...I believe you." Elizabeth says, waiting for him to get into the car before leaning over and claiming his lips, laying her head against his shoulder when breathing becomes essential. "Lets go home."

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews.**

**Let me know what you think!**

**- ROCkER -**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

Maybe it was weird, strange even, but Elizabeth finds herself watching Robin Scorpio as she orders her morning cup of coffee. In spite of everything that Jason has said, she can see it in the woman's eyes that she wasn't back to be his friend. It was in Robin's body language, the way she looks at Jason, the tone of her voice even...every sign points to her wanting Jason back.

Of course, Johnny slipping in a few hints at it didn't put her mind at ease any. Elizabeth wasn't sure what his deal was, but it felt like he was really pushing her buttons. It felt like he was trying to make her be more aware of the other woman, to be more keen in regard to the other brunette.

"Oh, hi." Robin is taken slightly by surprise when she turns around and finds Elizabeth standing behind her in line. "Elizabeth, right?"

"Yeah." she concedes, although she's sure that the other woman knows exactly who she is. "Excuse me."

"This might sound crazy, but do you have a minute to talk?" Robin asks as Elizabeth walks past her to the counter. "It won't take long, I swear."

Glancing between the waitress and the ex-girlfriend, Elizabeth takes a deep breath before joining Robin at a table. She was curious, to say the least, about what she wanted with her and decided to ease her own curiosity by obliging her for the moment.

"First of all, I'd just like to say how sorry I am for what happened to you." Robin says in a tone that doesn't sit well with Elizabeth. "I knew Steven and it was really sad to hear that he didn't survive."

"Sorry for your loss." she says, knowing it was the right thing to say.

"Its your loss, too."

"I didn't know him." Elizabeth says, waving over the waitress. "Its more your loss than mine."

"Even if you don't remember him, he was still your brother." Robin counters. "You must feel some kind of loss that you'll never know him."

"Sometimes." Elizabeth admits, feeling a twinge of anger at her probing. "Mostly when I see Jason and Emily."

"They are close." Robin admits. "Its so sad you'll never have that with Steven. He was a really great guy."

"So I've been told." Elizabeth gives her order to the waitress, making it to go. "Was there a point to you wanting to talk?"

"Sorry." Robin shakes her head, smiling slightly. "I tend to digress sometimes."

"Its fine."

"Anyway, what I wanted to talk to you about was my uncle." Robin explains. "He's the police commissioner of the Port Charles Police Department."

"What about Mac?" Elizabeth asks, looking at her intently, seriously not liking the tone she's using.

"Well, my uncle Mac was just informed that your grandmother, Audrey, is petitioning the mayor to extend her power of attorney over you." Robin explains carefully. "With the Quartermaine's help, there's no telling how fast she'll have her request granted. You know what that means, don't you?"

"Yes." Elizabeth says through tight lips. "It means that she can have me forcibly committed."

"Exactly." Robin shakes her head. "There is a way out of it though."

"How?"

"Well, you can go back willingly." Robin suggests. "If you meet them halfway, maybe Audrey won't have to file for the extension on the power of attorney."

"So your suggestion is for me to lock myself up to avoid being locked up against my will?" Elizabeth looks at her like she's grown an extra head. "And that really makes sense to you?"

"Its really best for everyone." Robin assures. "Jason'll never tell you this, but he feels responsible for you...because you're in the same situation he was in, I mean."

"Did he say that?"

"He didn't have to." Robin can see Elizabeth's restraint reaching its breaking point. "I know him. I probably know him better than anyone and I also know you wouldn't want to take advantage of his kindness."

"That's not what I'm doing."

"Isn't it?" Robin counters. "You're living in his penthouse for free and you're not responsible for any of the expenses."

"I'm running late. Excuse me." Elizabeth says, standing up and walking to the counter to cancel her order before leaving the diner.

Walking through the town, she knew that she almost blew it. She may not know a lot of things, but she knows when someone's trying to push her buttons. Whatever game she's playing, Elizabeth knows the other woman was definitely trying to rile her up. What she didn't know was if there was any truth behind her subtle jabs.

While she's walking through the town, Jason is in the warehouse - handling payroll as well as shipments. Things have been running smoothly since his last meeting with the five families. For some unknown reason to Jason, they held a certain level of respect for him that they didn't have for Sonny. With things pretty much running themselves, the guards completely content in their positions and pay rate, Jason hasn't had to spend much time pacifying his employees.

"Hey, Jason." Francis greets him, joining him in the office. "I heard from Benny that Sonny's starting to consider returning."

"I spoke to Sonny last week." Jason says firmly. "He's considering it, but he doesn't feel like he's ready to return just yet."

"How much longer?"

"Indefinitely." Jason wished he had an actual date for his best friend's return, but there has yet to be one. "Believe me, no one wants him back more than I do."

"No argument there." Francis plops down onto one of the chairs. "Things have never run this smoothly."

"They worked before, they'll work again when he returns." Jason says through tight lips. "I can't stay the boss...I just can't."

"I know." Francis assures. "For your sake, I hope he sets a date for his return soon."

"Did you come in here for a reason?" Jason questions, tossing the books into the safe.

"Yeah." Francis could literally punch himself for straying off his initial reason for following him into the office. "It looks like the Quartermaines are using their standing in society to help Audrey Hardy gain control over Elizabeth's medical power of attorney."

"I can't believe they're going through with it." Jason slams his fist on his desk. "I warned Monica to stay out of it."

"Did you really think that would work?"

"No." Jason sighs, settling back into his seat. "I have to think of something...I can't let them have control of her. She wouldn't be able to handle it."

"Any ideas on how you're going to stop them?"

"One." Jason concedes. "But only as a last resort...I need a plan A before I jump to plan Z."

"Let me know if I can help." Francis says as he rises from his seat. "I'm gonna get back to work."

"You do that."

Just as Francis pulls open the door, he's stopped in his tracks by Elizabeth - who's standing on the other side.

"I need to talk to Jason." Elizabeth says before he could even open his mouth.

"Go right ahead." Francis steps aside. "I was just leaving."

"Thanks." Elizabeth says, walking inside and closing the door behind Francis when he leaves.

"Is everything okay?" Jason asks, walking over to her - something in her eyes giving him pause.

"I'm going to get a job and move out." Elizabeth's words run together, a definite sign that she was flustered. "I just thought you should know."

"Wait...slow down." Jason walks her over to a chair so she could sit down. "What are you talking about?"

"I can't rely on you." Elizabeth sighs, settling back against the chair. "Its not right. You're not responsible for me...I'm responsible for me. I need to support myself and stop taking advantage of your kindness."

"What?" Jason couldn't understand what she was saying - all he knew was that he felt like she was slipping away from him. "Where is this coming from?"

"I'm nobody's burden." Elizabeth stares into his eyes. "Its not fair and its not right for me to live off your expenses."

"I decide what's fair to me." Jason says firmly, kneeling down in front of her. "What's this really about?"

"Its just time." Elizabeth sighs, fighting off the tears, begging them to stay at bay. "I need to support myself."

"If you want a job, get a job." Jason says without hesitation. "You do not have to leave the penthouse to do that."

"Jason..." Elizabeth takes a deep breath. "Please."

"No." Jason says firmly. "I'm not going to let you leave me. Not until you tell me what brought this on."

"Does it matter?" Elizabeth counters. "You're a really great guy, Jason, but I won't be anyone's charity case."

"Wha...you're not my charity case!" Jason snaps. "Where is all this coming from?"

"I need to go." Elizabeth tries to get up, but he holds her in place. "Jason."

"You don't want to leave." Jason says with conviction. "I can see it in your eyes...why are you doing this?"

"Because its what's best for you." Elizabeth whispers, a tear sliding down her cheek. "Audrey will never stop trying to put me back into the facility and I don't want you in the middle of it."

"**You** are what's best for me." Jason says, framing her face in his hands. "Don't you see that?"

"How am I what's best for you?" Elizabeth counters, needing to hear him say it. "All I've done is brought cops to your door and attention from your family that you don't want."

"You just are." Jason says firmly. "I need you...please don't leave."

"Audrey won't stop fighting for me." Elizabeth points out. "She's determined to fight as hard as she has to in order to get me back."

"Then we'll fight just as hard." Jason wipes away the trail of tears that slid down her cheeks. "I won't let them lock you up because that's what's unfair...that's what's not right."

"How can you be so willing to fight for me?" Elizabeth stares into his eyes, finding an emotion she couldn't even begin to describe.

"Because this right here..." Jason claims her lips swiftly before laying his forehead against hers. "...what's happening between us is real. Its right. And its worth fighting for."

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews.**

**Let me know what you think!**

**- ROCkER -**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

Sleep far from her grasp, Elizabeth slides out of bed, slipping into the silk robe hanging from her bedpost. Her mind was running through everything Robin had said to her. Slivers of truth could be found between the lines of the words she had subtly beaten her with. What had Elizabeth taken aback was the look in her eyes as she spoke. Robin Scorpio was just one of many complexities that she just didn't know how to decipher.

The moonlight shines in through the sliding door that lead to the balcony, illuminating the living room in its beautiful glow. A sense of calm can be felt through the penthouse, a calm that makes her feel serene and content - in spite of her conflicting thoughts and chaotic life.

With a cup of hot cocoa in hand, she slides open the door, simply staring out at the town basking in the moon's light. Elizabeth didn't know how she was going to do it, but she had to find some way to secure her independence. There had to be some way for her to truly be responsible for herself. A way for Audrey Hardy to lose any chance of controlling her life. There had to be.

Jason stood at the top of the steps, staring down at her as she stared out at the town. He usually wasn't one to stare, but the mere sight of her lighted by the moon's rays captivated him to no end. The silence being so peaceful that he couldn't bring himself to break it.

Like that day in the limo, she must have felt the weight of his stare because she slowly turned to look at him - their eyes meeting instantly. A soft smile touches her lips and, in that moment, Jason believes that he'd be dying a happy man if someone were to drop dead right then.

His feet move him before he even has a chance to think. Their eyes never leaving the others as he walks closer, closing the distance between them with each step he takes. When he comes to stand in front of her, Jason reaches up his hand, tucking a few loose strands of hair behind her ear.

"You okay?" he whispers softly, in that same tone that always puts a smile on her face. It was gentle yet firm, seeking the truth, but not demanding it.

"I think so." she replies, the confusion easy to read within her eyes - it was something he loved seeing. Unlike him, her emotions played through her eyes - vibrant and warm.

"You're worried, aren't you?" Jason guesses, taking her hands into his.

"A little." she admits, taking a deep breath before letting it back out slowly. "I can't go back to that facility, Jason...I just can't."

"And you won't." his voice held a sense of conviction that had her believing him. "We'll find a way to stop it from happening...I promise."

"From the tone of your voice, you sound confident that you can stop her."

"Not confident." Jason shakes his head, simultaneously stroking her hands with his thumbs. "Just the only outcome that I can allow to happen."

"I wish I could see things the way you do." she moves his arms to wrap around her before laying her head against his chest.

"I don't think anyone has ever said that to me before." he whispers, placing a whisper of a kiss atop her head. "Why would you want to see things the way I do?"

"Because...while I see the little details, you see the big picture." Elizabeth closes her eyes, merely listening to the beat of his heart beneath her ear. "Its intriguing...beautiful even."

"Lets get you to bed." Jason steps out of their embrace, sliding one hand into hers. "I called my lawyer and we're going to meet with her in the morning to strategize."

"Okay."

They walk up the stairs in silence, leaving her empty mug sitting alone on the coffee table where she had put it before he came down the stairs. He stops her just outside her bedroom, turning her to look at him, seeing the warmth within her eyes that he hopes never fades away.

"Goodnight." he whispers, gently touching her face with the back of his fingers.

"Goodnight." she mimes, leaning into his touch.

Elizabeth could swear that she can almost feel a kiss coming on before it does. There was this certain feeling around them whenever Jason was about to lean in and kiss her. Her eyes slide close as his lips draw closer, making the connection between his lips and hers that much more invigorating. When its time to pull away, he places a lingering kiss upon her forehead before pulling away completely.

He waits for her to walk into her bedroom before retiring to his. Sleep comes swiftly for Elizabeth, but Jason's slumber takes him a while. His mind thinking up ways to protect her, to keep her just as she is - happy and free. As sleep comes to claim him, Jason's last thoughts are of Elizabeth - the warmth in her eyes and the soft smile upon her lips.

"Jason said he'll be right down." Francis informs the organization's top lawyer, Alexis Davis, as he seats her in the living room.

"I am not an impatient person by nature, Mr. Corelli." Alexis says simply, dusting off the seat with her rag before sitting down. "You can retake your position outside, I'll be just fine."

"Of course, Ms. Davis." Francis bows his head slightly before walking out of the penthouse, closing the door firmly behind him.

Francis retakes his position as Alexis sets up her normal arrangement when dealing with her clients. Some would call her anal for her precision, but she takes pride in her work and that wasn't something to be ashamed of.

When working for the mob, one has to be precise and direct, these men didn't have time to waste - each instance usually life and death. Of course, she did appreciate some instances - like this one - where it wasn't a mob related task. Taking on cases like this helps her expand her skills - making them keen and undeniably irreplaceable.

Brief introductions are made when Jason and Elizabeth descend the stairs before they dive right into the problem. Alexis was impressed with how accepting Elizabeth was, taking in everything Alexis is saying and returning each statement with intellectual and relevant questions.

"Even with the Quartermaine/Hardy standing in society, it will take some time before the mayor will grant their request." Alexis explains. "No matter how important they are to his re-election, the paperwork will still have to go through the proper channels before he can have one his judges sign off on it."

"So what is our first step?" Jason asks, sliding his hand into Elizabeth's.

"Your first step is to get that job like you were planning to." Alexis looks at Elizabeth, smiling slightly. "You may not want to, but the best bet for us is if you retake the job you had before the accident."

"You want me to work for the people that want me committed?" Elizabeth looks at the lawyer skeptically.

"Hear me out." Alexis says softly, closing her suitcase. "They knew you before the accident and they will be able to tell the difference between the old you and the new you. If you do a good enough job, showing them that you're more than capable of taking care of yourself, they would have no choice but to testify to your competency."

"So, its like turning an enemy into an asset?" Elizabeth questions curiously. "That's actually a smart move."

"Why, thank you." Alexis smiles at the compliment. "And its not just the owners...we can subpoena some of the patrons as character witnesses. There's a lot of ways we can go with it."

"Can you handle going back to work at the diner?" Jason turns to look at Elizabeth, his tone implying that he'd support her either way. "If not, we can find another way."

"I can handle it." Elizabeth shakes her head, turning to look at Alexis. "I'll get the job back at the diner."

"Great." Alexis stands up. "While you work on that, I'll be handling the legalities. If I have any say in it, Audrey Hardy and the Quartermaines will be eating crow by the end of this."

Thanks are exchanged before Jason shows Alexis to the door. Elizabeth wasn't entirely sure how she was going to handle working at the diner or seeing the people from her past life, but she knew she had to do it. Jason says that Alexis Davis is the best at her job and if he could trust the lawyer then she will to.

"Eat crow?" Elizabeth questions when he walks back over to her.

"It just means that she wants to embarrass them with the truth." Jason says, wrapping his arms around her. "And prove that they couldn't be more wrong about you if they tried."

"Well, then I hope they eat crow by the end of this, too."

"How about we go for a ride?" Jason suggests. "You can meet with Bobbie after the lunch rush. Its the moment she wants to hire more people."

"Okay." Elizabeth shrugs. "A ride sounds great right about now."

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews.**

**Let me know what you think!**

**- ROCkER -**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

Steven Lars Webber. A plaque in his name hangs from the wall just by the jukebox. Her attention is pulled to it, a certain feeling spreading through her as she reaches her hand up, gently touching the engraving with her fingertips. It was like a memory that's begging to be brought to forefront of her mind, but it just couldn't make the connection.

"Hey." Jason's voice breaks through her thoughts, the feel of his hand slipping into hers brings her back from her distant memories. "You okay?"

"Yeah." she replies, staring at the plaque for a moment longer before looking at him. "My mind's still grasping at straws, I guess."

"I see you're getting better with figures of speech."

"A little." Elizabeth admits, listening in on other conversations to learn what she needed. "So you said the owner is Bobbie?"

"Bobbie Spencer." he confirms. "She's a little more understanding of what you're going through. You'll be able to talk to her."

"Okay." she lets out a deep breath. "I can do this."

"I know you can." Jason assures, leaning in and placing a lingering kiss upon her forehead. "Good luck."

"Thanks."

Elizabeth walks over to the counter where Bobbie is standing, glancing back at Jason just before she reaches it. The look of confidence on his face, the soft tenderness in his eyes, give her the confidence to keep going.

More than anything, Elizabeth wants her independence and this was the first step to achieving that. Despite her feelings towards the people from her past, she'll do just about anything to finally be responsible for herself. Even work for the Spencer family.

"Elizabeth." the tone in Bobbie's voice tells her that she's surprised to see her. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"I can understand why." Elizabeth keeps her eye contact soft, hoping to persuade the other woman to hire her. "I guess you know all about my situation."

"I do." Bobbie confirms, setting down her notepad. "Would you like to speak in my office?"

"Yes, actually, I would."

"Great." Bobbie smiles brightly, gesturing to the open doorway. "Right this way."

Jason watches as Elizabeth walks through the back way with Bobbie. He wanted to be there with her, to make sure that Bobbie wouldn't turn the tables and push Elizabeth's buttons, but he knows that she needs to do this on her own.

"Just the man I wanted to see." the voice of his lawyer speaks from behind him. "Do you have a minute?"

"Sure." Jason gestures for her to take a seat at a corner table, sitting across from her. "What's up?"

"I had a question to ask you about our tactic."

"Okay."

"You do know there's an easier route to go with this, right?" Alexis questions with an arched eyebrow, sliding over a printout of her idea.

"No." Jason slides it back. "We're not doing that."

"It would save us a whole lot of..."

"No." Jason says more firmly. "And don't even think about bringing it up to her."

"Why not?" Alexis counters, a slight smirk on her face. "You like her, she likes you...its plausible and viable."

"She has to do this herself." Jason explains, rubbing the back of his neck to ease the tension. "She needs to stand on her own before we can even think about doing that."

"You love her." Alexis comments, it wasn't even a question by this point.

"Just stick to our plan." Jason stands up, eyeing his lawyer intently. "If we ever do that, its going to be for the right reasons. Understand?"

"Perfectly." Alexis smiles, standing up and straightening her blouse. "I'm meeting with a few judges today and then the mayor tomorrow morning. We'll put these people in their places...trust me."

"You wouldn't be my lawyer if I didn't."

With a slight smile, acknowledging the compliment, Alexis secures her things and heads out of the diner. He watched her leave before sitting back down at the table. It wasn't like he didn't think about it. It had been his first instinct.

If they were to do that, it would be a slam dunk and it would have everyone out of both their lives in a heartbeat - legally at least. Even though it would be the most convenient tactic, Jason couldn't and wouldn't take that route just yet.

She needed to do this the right way. She needed to prove to them that she could stand on her own two feet and not rely on him. He had seen it in her eyes the day she wanted to leave him, she had to do it her way and that meant getting the job - building on that.

"Are you sure you want to work here again?" Bobbie questions softly, a sense of appreciation for the way Elizabeth is handling things. "This is the usual spot for..."

"I know." Elizabeth cuts her off respectfully - boy did she know how often the others went there. "I may not be the girl I used to be, but I promise you that I'll be the best waitress you've got."

"I'm sure you will be." Bobbie agrees, smiling fondly. "If you're sure you want the job, its yours."

"Are you sure?" Elizabeth flips it on her. "I know a lot of people that wouldn't want you helping me."

"That's their problem." Bobbie replies simply, the look in her eyes giving Elizabeth a sense of comfort. "I know it must have taken a lot for you to come see me. I'm not going to turn you away."

"Thank you." Elizabeth stands up along with Bobbie, reaching out and shaking her hand. "You won't regret this."

"I know I won't." Bobbie walks her to the door. "You can come by at opening tomorrow and I'll get you all set to start your first shift."

"I'll be here."

Walking out of the office, Elizabeth makes it to the open doorway when she finds Jason and Robin with their arms around each other. A certain unwelcome feeling starts spreading through her as she watches them. Whatever it was that suddenly found its way into her heart, Elizabeth wasn't liking it at all.

"Yeah...I'll let you know about dinner." Jason says to Robin just as Elizabeth walks up to them. "Hey...you done?"

"All done." Elizabeth confirms, eyeing Robin curiously. "Hi, Robin."

"Hi, Elizabeth." Robin smiles politely. "I was just asking Jason for a rain check on dinner. He had an emergency last time and I was hoping to..."

"You really don't have to explain it to me." Elizabeth say simply, turning to look at Jason. "Can we go to the statue?"

"Sure." Jason smiles slightly, pulling open the door for her. "Robin, I'll call you later."

"I'll look forward to it." Robin replies as Elizabeth walks past her and out of the diner. "Goodbye, Elizabeth."

"If you say so." Elizabeth counters, not even glancing at Robin. She may be slow on the uptake sometimes, but she's catching on quick.

Jason silently follows behind her, pretending not to notice the shocked expression on Robin's face. Elizabeth was clearly trying her hardest to gain control of her emotions, but he found that he liked seeing her jealous. It was something he never thought he'd see in a woman. Robin had never been jealous of another girl - not that she had any reason to, but Jason finds that its beautiful on Elizabeth.

"You okay?" Jason asks once they straddle the bike.

"I got the job." Elizabeth replies, knowing very well that it didn't answer his question. "She said I should come in tomorrow at opening."

"Good to know." Jason turns his head back to look at her. "But that wasn't what I asked."

"Do you want her?"

"No." Jason says with conviction - not a nanosecond of hesitation.

"Then I'm fine." Elizabeth says simply. "As long as that doesn't change."

"It won't."

"Okay." she shrugs, a slight smirk on her lips. "You gonna start it up or should I drive?"

"No, that's okay." Jason chuckles, sticking the key in the ignition. "I'll drive."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

With Jason out on his "date" with the ex-girlfriend, Elizabeth is in a meditative state. Sitting with her legs crossed, her arms relaxed parallel to her laps, her fingertips touching, she tries to focus on the many thoughts that cloud her mind.

Since she woke up, her brain has been trying to connect the pieces, but it could never truly make it. Everything felt familiar, but nothing triggered a memory or thought. She's hoping for some sign, something to lead her to another stage of her life. The diary only took her so far, it was a recent diary so it didn't hold much. What she needs is past diaries, but she wasn't sure the old her kept any.

Her mind relaxed, her body at ease, Elizabeth takes steady breaths in and out. An image starts to piece itself together, it looked like some kind of apartment, but not one she has ever been to before - at least not after the accident.

She picks something up from the table, but the label for who it was intended for is blurred. Focusing with all her might, she can almost make out what's written. One letter becomes two and then three, but before she can make it all out a knock sounds at the door.

"Dammit." she mutters beneath her breath before standing up. "Its open!"

"Sorry if I bothered you." Johnny says as he opens the door, holding up a bag. "Dinner."

"Sorry." she sighs, walking over to him. "Thank you."

"Is everything okay?"

"Sure." Elizabeth sets the bag down on the table. "If by okay you mean trying to remember something your brain won't let you, then I'm more than okay."

"Having a hard time, huh?" Johnny closes the door and walks over to her. "I can't even begin to imagine what you're going through."

"Its like my brain is trying hard to connect to the memories, but it can never quite get there." Elizabeth shakes her head, sitting down on the couch. "Saying it out loud makes me sound crazy."

"You're not crazy." Johnny assures, sitting on the coffee table. "Your brain's just trying to recover what it lost...just give yourself a break and don't try so hard."

"Yeah...I guess." Elizabeth shrugs, opening the bag. "You hungry?"

"I can eat." he replies with a slight smirk. "So...Jason's out with Robin, huh?"

"Don't start." Elizabeth opens the container, handing him one. "I'm not liable for what I do if you go there."

"Fair enough." he gets up long enough to plop onto the couch. "But its okay if you don't like it."

"Last warning, Johnny."

"Okay, okay." Johnny chuckles, grabbing a fork. "I'm going to just eat now."

"Wise choice."

They're not even halfway through the main course and Jason's mind has travelled back to Elizabeth more than eight times. She'll be starting at the diner in the morning and he won't be able to be there for her. He knows that she can handle herself and that she needed to do this, but that didn't stop him from worrying about her.

The Quartermaines had been bad when he was the one in Elizabeth's position, but they had never been this bad. They let him go, albeit it reluctantly, but once he was out they didn't fight this hard to get him back. He wasn't sure if he was insulted or appreciative of it, but he did know that he wouldn't let Audrey Hardy control Elizabeth.

"...so, I was thinking that when your bike is working again, maybe we can go out to the bridge." Robin continues on as he tunes back into what she's saying. "Do you think we can?"

"Its going to be down for a while." Jason knows he shouldn't lie, but he couldn't hurt her feelings. "I'm the one working on it and I don't really have much time these days."

"Why not put it in the shop?" Robin suggests, taking a sip of her soda before wiping the corners of her mouth with her napkin. "It'll be a lot more convenient, wouldn't it?"

"I prefer to work on it myself." Jason insists, barely having eaten anything on his plate. "A lot of the shops in town cause more problems than they fix."

"Point taken." Robin chuckles, a familiar feeling surging through her. "Well, when you do get around to it, will you let me know when its done?"

"Sure." Jason replies, taking a swig of beer. "When are you going back to Paris?"

"Oh, I thought I told you." Robin shakes her head. "I'm not going back. Brenda asked me to help out at L&B Records."

"I thought you were going into medicine." Jason looks at her intently. "Are you giving it up?"

"For now." Robin assures. "Once I'm settled into L&B Records, I'm going to return to medicine."

"I never knew you were interested in music as a career." Jason comments, confused by her sudden change in career choices.

"Well, I'm not." Robin concedes. "Not really, but its a really great opportunity and I want to see where it goes."

"If you're happy then I'm happy for you." Jason says simply. "I hope its the right choice for you."

"Me, too." Robin smiles slightly, glancing over at the dancers. "I probably know the answer, but would you care to dance?"

"I don't like to dance." Jason says, seeing the look in her eyes dim a little.

"I kind of figured you'd say that." Robin replies, taking a deep breath. "Could you humor me though?"

For the sake of their past, Jason rises to his feet - moving to stand next to her - and holds out his hand to her. Even though he knows there's no future in him and Robin, he still wouldn't disrespect the past they had shared. She had been a huge part of his life, having taught him half of what he knew, and Jason still owed it to her to be a good friend.

"I need you to take me somewhere." Elizabeth says as she stands up, tossing the trash into the waste bin.

"Okay...where?" Johnny questions, wiping his hands on the sides of his pants.

"Not sure." Elizabeth admits, grabbing her jacket. "Can you take me anyway?"

"Sure." Johnny smiles slightly, opening the door for her. "You'll let me know along the way?"

"I hope so."

Elizabeth walks out of the penthouse with Johnny close behind. She wasn't sure how she was going to find the place that had popped into her mind, but she was hopeful that her instincts will guide her to where she needed to be.

They got into the car and off they drove into the night. They were driving aimlessly for a while before something clicked in her mind and she started directing him through the different streets. Before long, they are parking in the parking lot of a motel.

"This is where you want to go?" Johnny looks at her curiously. "You sure?"

"This is the place." Elizabeth opens the car door before looking back at him. "You can stay in the car if you're too scared."

"Funny." Johnny states, opening his door before getting down. "Me, scared, HA!"

"Just saying." Elizabeth walks over to the hallway, walking past each door, the entire thing feeling a little too familiar.

They're walking past door after door, making their way to the second floor of the motel area. Johnny didn't like this part of town, especially with Elizabeth, but he followed behind her none the less. She continued to walk until finally she stopped in front of the last door.

"This is it." Elizabeth turns the knob before turning to look at Johnny. "You any good at picking a lock?"

"Do I look like I know how to pick a lock?"

"Yes."

"Then you'd be right." Johnny smirks, grabbing his driver's license from his back pocket. "Scoot over."

It was a good thing that places like this weren't big on security. It didn't take long for Johnny to unlock the door and let her in. Making sure no one saw them, Johnny walks into the room behind her and closes the door. When he turned to look for Elizabeth, he found her moving a table to stand on it - reaching up for the vent.

"What are you looking for?" he questions, walking over to keep the table steady.

"Not sure." Elizabeth admits, reaching into the vent. "I just know something's here."

"How?"

"I'd tell you if I knew." Elizabeth pulls out a small box. "We can go now."

"Was this your room?"

"No." Elizabeth shakes her head, allowing him to help her down from the table. "I'm pretty sure it was Steven's."

"Your brother?"

"Yeah." she concedes, walking out of the motel room with him. "I'm hoping that whatever is in this box might help me remember what's been bugging me for a while."

"What if it doesn't?"

"And they call me negative." Elizabeth smiles slightly. "That's why I said hoping...if it doesn't then it doesn't."

With the box secured in her arms, they drive back through the town, heading for the penthouse. She knows that whatever's in the box is important. That it had been important enough to her brother that he hid it. What she wanted to know is why she had known about it and why it was so important.

"Looks like Jason's back." Johnny comments as they pull into the parking garage, pointing him out by the bike.

"Looks like it." Elizabeth replies, staring at Jason as they park. "Can you take this up to the penthouse? Just leave it on the desk."

"Sure." Johnny takes the box, leaving the two alone.

"How was your date?" she asks when she gets to him.

"It wasn't a date." he reminds her, reaching up to tuck a few loose strands of hair behind her ear.

"Okay...but how was it?"

"It was fine." Jason says simply. "Where'd you go?"

"My brother's apartment." Elizabeth concedes. "I'll explain it later...right now I really want to go for a ride."

"You're okay, though, right?"

"Yeah." Elizabeth smiles, meeting his gaze. "I'm okay."

"Good." Jason claims her lips, needing to feel her lips against his in a desperate way. "Hop on."

"Can I drive?" Elizabeth questions, even though he never lets her drive.

"Sure." Jason hands her the keys.

"Seriously?" she eyes him curiously. "You're letting me drive?"

"I just gave you the keys, didn't I?"

"I know, but..." Elizabeth touches his forehead with the palm of her hand. "You feeling okay?"

"Just get on." Jason chuckles, waiting for her to straddle the bike before straddling it behind her. "And try not to kill us."

"I make no promises." Elizabeth smirks, starting up the bike and feeling herself coming to life along with it. "Hold on with your life."

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews.**

**Let me know what you think!**

**- ROCkER -**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

They drove through the night, making their way up to Vista Point just in time to see the sunrise. While she was staring out at the rising sun, Jason was staring at her and the beautiful gleam in her eyes. She still found such beauty in the small things, the sunrise being one of the many things to capture her emotions.

The urge to kiss her becomes too much to bear that he lifts her up onto the half sized wall, staring into her deep blue eyes, before kissing her soundly. Every emotion bubbles up within him, a part of him opening up that he never thought would open again, and in that moment he realizes what he probably knew all along.

As she sits upon the concrete half sized wall, Elizabeth couldn't believe that anything could possibly feel as good as kissing Jason. She has subtly tried to find other things, other ways to stimulate the emotions that surge through her every time his lips touch hers, but - short of kissing someone else - Elizabeth has yet to find anything that felt as good as that.

Everything about Jason pulls her in - the way he looks, the sound of his voice, the way he treats her - everything about him makes Elizabeth want him in the most desperate of ways. Its in moments like this that she wonders - in spite of herself - if this is what he felt when he was with Robin.

She had been his first. Robin had taught him and helped him understand things the way he was teaching and helping her. Which, of course, begs the question...if they didn't last, would her relationship with Jason have a snowball's chance in hell of making it? Is she even in a relationship with him or was this just a simple attraction? Friends with benefits...okay, why does she know that phrase?

More thoughts follow, darker thoughts, thoughts that had nothing to do with Jason. Thoughts that probably had everything to do with her brother, but she couldn't figure out just what that was. All the thoughts are hazy, nothing making the least bit of sense and it starts to give her a headache.

"I'm sorry." Elizabeth pulls away from him, hopping off the wall. "I just...I'm sorry."

"Its okay." Jason looks at her curiously, getting a feeling that something wasn't okay, but not knowing how to approach it. "Elizabeth, its okay."

"Its not okay." she sighs, running her fingers through her hair. "Can we go home?"

"I thought you wanted to go see the statue."

"I did, but now I don't." she shakes her head. "I want to go home. Can we go, please?"

"Sure." Jason holds out the key to her. "Are you going to drive?"

"No." she shakes her head. "I can't."

Straddling the bike, he's more confused than he ever was before. The ride back was filled with tension, neither enjoying the ride in the least bit. While he's riddled with concern for her, she's trying her damnedest to figure out the thoughts that cloud her mind. It seemed like she would solve one puzzling memory just to be straddled with another.

When they get home, Elizabeth snatches the box from the desk and makes her way up to her room - using the excuse of needing to get ready for work. He could see that something was eating at her, something big, but he had no way of getting it out of her. Trying to get her to talk is like trying to get him to talk when he gets to that point - completely pointless and futile.

After a long hot shower, she sits on her bed, barely running her fingertips over to the cover of the box. Her first instinct is to open it, but her other instincts tell her that she just might not want to know what lays within. That maybe it would be too much for her to handle.

In spite of the many conflicting thoughts in her mind, Elizabeth stores the box beneath her bed, deciding that she could only handle what she had control over. Since, obviously, she had no control over what the contents of the box would be, she opts to getting ready for work. Something she had control over. Something that wouldn't change her life too drastically.

"Liz, wait." Jason takes hold of her arm, stopping her from opening the door. "I want to help you."

"I wish you could." she concedes, gently brushing the back of her fingers against his cheek. "But you can't. No one can help me with what I'm going through."

"I can try."

"You didn't know me before the accident." she points out rather bluntly. "As far as I know, only one person can help me put the pieces back together and he's dead."

"Steven?" he guessed, wishing more than anything he could bring the brother back to life.

"Yeah...Steven." she sighs, dropping her hand back to her side. "I'll be okay, Jason. I just need something else to focus on right now."

Letting the conversation end there, Jason allows her to walk out of the penthouse before locking up. He had a few things to tend to, being the head of the organization, and he needed to get her to Bobbie before then. The look in her eyes, as one of the guards drove them to Kelly's, didn't sit well with him.

There was a distant look in her eyes, the emotions barely visible and that was completely unlike her. In spite of every single one of his instincts, Jason dropped her off at Kelly's, making sure that Bobbie was there to meet her, before leaving for his own job. Praying with every fiber of his being that she would be okay.

"Everything okay?" Francis asks when Jason walks into the warehouse.

"No." Jason states, a thought suddenly occurring to him. "I need a favor and it has to stay between the two of us."

"Name it." Francis replies without any hesitation. "I'll do the best I can."

"I need everything you can find on Steven Lars Webber." Jason says firmly, needing to know what he was dealing with. "As far back as you can go. I want every skeleton in his closet, understood?"

"I'm on it."

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews.**

**Let me know what you think!**

**- ROCkER -**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

Two hours, thirty-three minutes, and twenty-seven seconds. That's how long it took, from the start of her shift, for Elizabeth to literally want to break every last dish in the diner. She wasn't sure how she kept her cool or how she managed to continue to serve customers while her competency was brought into question, but she did it.

In spite of herself, of every fiber of her being, Elizabeth managed to pretend she couldn't hear the insipid voice of her former lover and continue through the diner unaffected. She couldn't allow herself to show how the insults affected her. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

"Bobbie, I get you want to help her, I really do." Lucky's voice grates her last nerve. "But you can't have her around the general population like this."

"You act like she's some kind of murderer." Bobbie shakes her head, setting up the cash register with smaller bills and removing some of the larger ones. "She just started and already she's better than half my wait staff."

"Even if that is true, she's still unstable." Lucky protests. "Even the doctors are concerned with her ability to control herself."

"She seems to be doing just fine." Bobbie defends, closing the register and zipping up her money bag. "I'm sorry you don't agree with my decision, but it has been made. Tell your mom I'll handle dessert for dinner tonight, okay?"

"Sure." Lucky mutters, wishing his aunt would see reason. "I'll let her know."

"Thank you." Bobbie smiles softly. "And ease up on Elizabeth. She's managed to survive this long on her own. I'd think she has earned a little more credit than you give her, don't you?"

Ending the conversation there, hoping to give him some time to see she was right, Bobbie walks off to her office to store the money in the safe. Lucky, on the other hand, turned in his seat and watched as Elizabeth fluttered through the diner - helping customers. For a brief moment he can imagine the girl he loved, but only for a moment.

He had made his own fair share of mistakes - maybe a little more than he's proud of - but one he was certain of is that he always loved her. That he would always love her. A permanent lock. With one last longing look, Lucky leaves the diner to meet up with Audrey Hardy and Monica Quartermaine.

They had left a message on his phone about finally finding something that might get through to Elizabeth since the mayor was taking his sweet time. Apparently there are a lot of people against what Audrey and Monica are doing that it was taking a little longer to persuade them than the mayor had initially thought.

"I asked for hot coffee, not ice coffee." a voice says irritably, eyeing her condescendingly.

"I'm sorry." Elizabeth says through gritted teeth, knowing damn well that the coffee had been hot when she had set it down on the table. It damn near burnt her fingertips. "Would you like another one?"

"Why bother?" the woman snaps. "You'll never get it right."

"Would you like another waitress?" Elizabeth suggests, fighting her instinct to shut the customer up with her fists - preferably by shoving the customer's fists down her own throat. "I'm sure any one of the other wait staff would gladly tend to you?"

"Just get me another cup!" the woman says with disdain. "And this time make it scalding or don't even bother expecting a tip!"

"One scalding cup of coffee coming right up." Elizabeth forces the smile to stay in place. "I apologize again for my lack of comprehension."

"Just get the coffee." the woman turns away from her in a huff, returning to her file.

Bobbie watched as Elizabeth clenches her hands into fists before walking off to the coffee pot. She had to hand it to her, Elizabeth was controlling her anger a lot better than her former self would have. The Elizabeth she was before the accident would probably tell the woman, in a not so subtle while still polite way, that she shouldn't have let her coffee sit for too long before drinking it.

"Here." Bobbie hands her an extremely hot cup of coffee - placing it on a saucer so her fingers wouldn't burn from contact. "Put it on the table and walk away. I'll handle it from there."

"But..." she tries to protest, but Bobbie just shakes her head.

"Set it down and walk away."

"You're the boss." Elizabeth concedes before walking back over to the table and setting it down. "There you go, ma'am."

Like Bobbie instructed her, she walked away from the woman to tend to the rest of her customers. The woman, most likely, wasn't paying attention because she yelped in pain after drinking her coffee. Every single person in the vicinity turned to see the pure red anger burning on the woman's face. That of which, in Elizabeth's opinion, happened to match the feeling of the inside of the woman's mouth.

"You incompetent degenerate!" the woman exclaims loudly, slamming the cup down angrily.

"Is there a problem?" Bobbie steps forward, a simple polite smile on her face.

"Are you kidding me?" she looks at Bobbie aghast. "That incompetent waitress of yours tried to kill me! I could damn well sue this place for pure harmful misconduct."

"I do apologize for any harm done to your person." Bobbie crosses her arms over her chest. "But you asked for scalding coffee, ma'am. That of which, by definition, is extremely hot."

"Why I ought to..."

"Now if you were mistaken and prefer a warm cup of coffee, my wait staff would gladly accommodate you." Bobbie cuts her off swiftly. "But if you insist on degrading my personnel, I would like to implore you to seek your needs elsewhere."

"How dare you!" the woman exclaims angrily. "I am a paying customer!"

"And I have the right to refuse service to anyone." Bobbie gestures to the sign above the order window. "I normally do not utilize that right, but if you continue your treatment of my wait staff, I will more than gladly utilize it where you are concerned, ma'am."

The woman gathers her things and leaves in a huff of anger. Elizabeth couldn't believe that Bobbie had just stood up for her like that. Other than Jason, the guards, and Alexis, no one has been on her side so completely. It was something, she found, that she appreciated.

"You didn't have to do that." Elizabeth finds herself saying when Bobbie approaches her. "I could've handled that lady."

"That was no lady." Bobbie says simply, glancing at the doorway. "And you do not deserve to be treated like that. No one does."

"I know, but I could've handled it."

"I'm not saying that you couldn't have." Bobbie assures, smiling softly, gently grasping Elizabeth's shoulder. "I am saying that its okay to accept help."

"Right." Elizabeth sighs, brushing a few strands of hair from her face. "Sorry. I just..."

"Its okay." Bobbie counters when Elizabeth can't finish the sentence. "I understand, really, I do."

"Thank you, Bobbie." she replies gratefully. "I really do appreciate what you did."

"No thanks necessary." Bobbie says sincerely. "Why don't you clock out and I'll see you tomorrow for your shift."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah." she shakes her head. "Its pretty slow right now and I have three waitresses on duty. Go on, you deserve it after enduring that customer."

"Thank you."

Untying the apron, Elizabeth hands it to Bobbie before shrugging into her jacket and leaving the diner. She had been a little surprised to find that Jason didn't leave any of the guards with her, but found that she was glad he didn't.

Glancing around, she decided that she had to see him and let her feet take her to where she needed to be. The headache hasn't gotten any stronger, but it hasn't dulled any. Fortunately, since the accident, she has a high tolerance for pain.

"Ma'am, you can't be here." one of the lower guards stop her just past the entrance doors. "This is private property."

"First of all, do I really look like a ma'am to you?" Elizabeth questions with an arched eyebrow. "And secondly, I'm here to see Jason Morgan."

"Mr. Morgan is in a meeting." the guard concedes. "If you'd like to schedule a meeting with him you'll have to go through the proper channels."

"Proper what?" Elizabeth looks at him confusedly, spotting Francis walking past a few freights. "Francis!"

"Elizabeth?" Francis says to himself, walking over to her. "She's okay, Jay."

"If you say so, sir." the guard, Jay, replies. "I was under orders..."

"I know." Francis cuts him off. "Next time you see her, you come get me. Got it?"

"Got it." Jay says without hesitation. "Sorry for the mistake, ma'am."

"I'm not a ma'am." Elizabeth walks past him, following Francis to the office.

"Liz?" Jason stands up when she walks into the office. "Is everything okay? I didn't think you'd be off until after the lunch rush."

"Bobbie let me go early." Elizabeth turns to look at Francis. "Thank you for bringing me up, but I got it from here."

"Of course." Francis bows his head slightly before walking out.

"You okay?" Jason asks when she walks up to him.

"I was wrong." Elizabeth takes a deep breath, staring up at him. "I was thinking about it a lot on the way over and I realized that I do need your help."

"Name it." Jason says without hesitation. "I'll do anything."

"I have a lot of thoughts running through my head." she concedes, sitting down on one of the chairs. "I can't make anything out and its just a huge jumbled mess. Its getting to the point that I'm having constant headaches and I really don't know how to make sense of any of it."

"I wish you would've come to me sooner." Jason kneels down in front of her. "How bad are the headaches?"

"They're steady." Elizabeth pinches his arm. "About that painful."

"Have you been able to figure out any of it?" Jason asks, taking her hands in his. "Even a fragment of the mess?"

"A couple." she admits, remembering the slivers of thoughts she had pieced together. "But that's when it was only a few pieces...my mind is completely stuffed with hazy information."

"You just have to learn how to focus on certain pieces." Jason explains, smiling slightly - thankful that she's finally turning to him. "I'll help you figure things out, okay?"

"I'm sorry I shut you out." Elizabeth stares deeply into his eyes, truly captivated. "I just...its hard to think past the clutter, you know?"

"You never have to apologize to me." he leans in and places a kiss on her forehead. "I'm here for you unconditionally, okay?"

"Okay." she lays her forehead against his. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You'll never have to know."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews.**

**Let me know what you think!**

**- ROCkER -**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

Fast asleep in their separate beds, Jason and Elizabeth find themselves sleeping the most peaceful sleep they have had in a long while. The long talk they had before bed had put them in a very relaxing mood that sleep came swiftly and peacefully.

In the early morning, before the rest of the town has yet to awaken, a knock sounds at the penthouse door. It takes a few knocks before Jason is awoken and makes his way to see who it was. His spare gun in the palm of his hand, Jason checks who it is before setting the gun down on the desk and pulling the door open.

"Sonny." his eyes grow big, unable to hide the shock from his face.

"You gonna invite me in?" Sonny replies with a dimpled grin.

"Uh, yeah." Jason shakes his head before stepping aside. "When did you get in?"

"Just now." Sonny says simply, setting his luggage to the side. "How're things going?"

"Its been pretty calm." Jason concedes, closing the door before walking over to his best friend. "Why didn't you call? I could have picked you up from the airport."

"It was a spur of the moment thing." Sonny shrugs, plopping down on the club chair. "I heard Robin's back in town."

"Yeah." Jason walks over to sit on the couch. "She's been asking about you."

"I'm gonna have to check in on her later." Sonny glances around the penthouse. "Didn't like my place?"

"This one is more my style." Jason subtly defends. "Besides, it frees it up for you."

"True." Sonny smirks. "For as long as I'm here anyway."

"Jason, we're out of shampoo." Elizabeth's voice causes both of them to turn towards the stairs as she walks down them. "I think you used a little too much last night."

Jason's cheeks grew slightly heated as Sonny turned to look at him with an arched eyebrow. He could pretty much guess what thoughts are running through his best friend's head at the moment.

"Elizabeth this is Sonny." Jason introduces, trying his best to ignore the fact that she's in nothing but a towel. "I told you about the other day."

"Right." Elizabeth smiles slightly. "Nice to meet you."

"I believe the pleasure's all mine." Sonny shakes her hand before sliding his hands into his pockets.

"The shampoo's on the top shelf of my closet." Jason tells Elizabeth as he guides her back to the stairs. "You might want to grab some conditioner while you're at it."

"Okay." Elizabeth looks at him curiously. "Are you blushing?"

"I don't blush." Jason smiles slightly. "Go take your bath."

"Whatever you say." Elizabeth shrugs before walking up the stairs to his bedroom.

"I guess I don't have to ask if you and Robin got back together." Sonny comments, causing Jason to turn away from the stairs. "She make you happy?"

"Yeah." Jason admits, walking back over to him. "And much more."

"Slept with her yet?"

"No."

"You planning on marrying her?"

"What's with the twenty questions?"

"I'll take that as a yes." Sonny chuckles, enjoying the subtle torture of his best friend. "Have you told Robin that there's no future for the two of you?"

"Robin knows we're just friends." Jason says plainly, sitting back down.

"I doubt that." Sonny counters. "You have to tell her, Jason. You can't just assume she knows."

"When are you leaving?"

"Who knows?" Sonny shrugs. "I just may decide to stick around."

"Yeah?"

"I'll let you know." Sonny amends. "Look, I'm gonna leave you to your lady friend and I'll see both of you for dinner."

"Sonny." Jason stops him from walking out the door. "Do I really have to lay it out for Robin?"

"It's best if you do." Sonny encourages. "Just so she knows where you stand."

"Okay." Jason sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. "I guess I'll find a way to talk to her about it."

"I know you'll do the right thing." Sonny smiles slightly. "I'll see you later."

Jason closes the door behind Sonny, every part of him hating having to talk to Robin. He had hoped that he wouldn't have to say the words. That she would move on from him the way he forced himself to move on from her. There had been a point where she was his entire world, but he grew up and let it go. He kind of figured she let it go too.

"Jason?" Elizabeth walks down the stairs slowly. "I don't feel too good."

"Elizabeth?" Jason rushes to her when she looses her balance. "Hey, are you okay?"

"I don't know." Elizabeth clings to him. "My head...it hurts."

"Come on." Jason lifts her into his arms, securing the towel around her. "I'm taking you to the hospital."

The ride to the hospital is filled with tension as Jason drives as fast as the car can take him. Elizabeth has passed out in the passenger seat and he could have sworn that the world was conspiring against them. Finally getting to the hospital, Jason carries her into the emergency room, shouting for someone to help them.

"Jason?" Robin's voice pulls him out of his own thoughts, stopping him from pacing back and forth. "Is everything okay?"

"Its Elizabeth." he concedes, tapping his fingers against his leg. "She fainted and she's not responsive."

"I'm sure she'll be okay."

"You don't know that." Jason practically snaps at her. "I need her to be okay, Robin...I just need her to be."

"Mr. Morgan, she's asking for you." the nurse says with a slight smile. "She also said to tell you that you owe her for taking her to a hospital."

"I can go in?" Jason asks, smiling slightly, a little relieved.

"Yes." the nurse confirms. "The doctor is still in with her, but I'll show you the way."

"Thank you." Jason says before walking off the nurse - leaving a stunned Robin in his wake.

Walking into the exam room, Jason finally breathed a breath of relief when she came into view. Sitting up, fully alert, Elizabeth folds her arms across her chest at the sight of him. The little pout of her lips had him wanting to claim them with his and kiss her till she smiled. That was, of course, until he remembered where they were and why they were there.

"I hate hospitals." she says seriously when he walks over to stand beside her. "Don't you have a private doctor or something?"

"I was worried about you." Jason defends. "Sue me for caring."

"I would, but my lawyer works for you." Elizabeth counters, shrugging her shoulders.

"How is she?" Jason diverts his attention to the doctor, laughing inwardly at her comment.

"Ms. Webber was simply overwhelmed by stress." the doctor explains. "Her body is still healing from being in the coma and the trauma she had sustained. A minimal amount of stress for the next few weeks is ideal for her right now."

"That's it?" Jason questions, slipping her hand into both of his. "Its nothing more serious than that?"

"Nothing serious." the doctor assures. "Just try to relax, Ms. Webber, and you give yourself time to heal."

"Thank you, doctor." Elizabeth concedes. "Can I go home now?"

"In a couple hours." the doctor assures. "Your blood pressure is still a little too high for my liking, but once it returns to normal I'll sign off on your discharge papers. Just relax and you'll be out of here before you know it."

"I hate hospitals." Elizabeth repeats herself once the doctor is out of the room. "But...thank you for taking care of me."

"You're going to be okay." Jason says simply. "That's all that matters."

"I'm sorry for scaring you." Elizabeth sighs, laying back in bed. "It all kind of happened so fast."

"Once they clear you to go, I'll take you on the longest bike ride you've ever had." Jason promises. "How does that sound?"

"Sounds like you're trying to make up for taking me to the hospital." Elizabeth smiles slightly. "Or maybe its to make me forget that I saw you blushing earlier this morning."

"So you don't want the ride?"

"No, I want it." Elizabeth assures. "But you have to tell me why you were blushing."

"I don't blush."

"Yes, you do." Elizabeth leans over, kissing him soundly. "But I'll pretend that you don't if that's what you want."

"That's what I want."

"Okay." Elizabeth laughs softly. "Then you don't blush."

"I'm glad you're okay." Jason says, gently caressing her cheek. "I don't know what I would've done if you weren't."

"I'm glad, too." Elizabeth agrees. "I'd probably kill someone if I had to stay in the hospital for more than a few hours."

"Yeah." Jason's the one to laugh now. "I don't doubt that."

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews.**

**Let me know what you think!**

**Remember to Smile!**

**- ROCkER -**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

So much for their plans. Not even five minutes after Elizabeth is released from the hospital, Jason has to handle something business related before things grow to be too out of hand. Most girls would be offended by working taking precedence over set plans, but not her.

If anything, Elizabeth is amused with Jason when he gets called away on business. His eyebrows get scrunched up, clear disdain on his face, and a vibrant apology in his eyes. It was hard to fathom anyone not being able to forgive him for being called away.

"Its okay." Elizabeth assures with a slight smile. "You have responsibilities to tend to. I can make it home on my own."

"Johnny's on his way." Jason hates leaving her like this, but he had to be the one to handle it. "I'll make it up to you."

"You're coming back to me, Jason." she points out before a thought dawns on her. "You are coming back to me, right?"

"Yes." he pulls her into his arms, staring deep into her captivating blue eyes. "I might not be back until morning though."

"As long as you're coming back, I can wait." Elizabeth says simply, closing her eyes as his lips claim hers. Another thought coming to mind when he pulls away. "I guess this means I'm having dinner with Sonny by myself, huh?"

"I can call and cancel." Jason offers. "I'm sure he'll understand."

"You don't have to." Elizabeth shrugs her shoulders, smiling slightly. "If I don't have dinner with Sonny, I'm pretty sure Johnny will think of something for me to do."

"Right." Jason shakes his head. "I'll call Sonny to let him know its just the two of you."

"You do that." she laughs softly, gesturing to a truck a few spaces over. "Looks like my ride is here."

"Take it easy, okay?" Jason says seriously, knowing they were about to part ways. "Doctor's orders."

"Oh, so you're a doctor now?" she teases, knowing full well what he meant.

"Only for you." he smirks, placing a soft lingering kiss upon her forehead. "I'll see you at home later."

"Sounds like a plan." she reluctantly steps out of his embrace. "Be careful, okay?"

"I promise."

"Okay...I'm not saying goodbye." Elizabeth says seriously. "Not this time. So I'm just going over to the car and I'll wait for you to come back."

"I will come back."

"I know." Elizabeth smiles slightly. "See you soon."

Walking away from him, in spite of herself, Elizabeth gets to Johnny's truck before turning back to look at him. Their eyes meet and, for a moment, they just stare at each other. They both knew that they'd be seeing each other again, but it was still hard to walk away. After a long moment, Elizabeth raises her hand in a slight wave, eliciting a slight wave from Jason, before getting into the truck and taking off with Johnny.

Jason watched her leave, waiting until the truck was out of sight, before heading to the warehouse to meet up with the other top level guards. He knew it was going to be hard, but he had responsibilities to uphold and she'd be okay without him for one night. If anything, its her having dinner with Sonny that has him a little worried. God only knows what will go down without him.

"Yeah?" Sonny answers his phone.

"Hey." Jason replies. "Its just you and Elizabeth tonight."

"Anything I can help with?"

"Nothing serious, yet." Jason assures. "I need you to know something, Sonny."

"Okay."

"Elizabeth...she's been through a lot." Jason says seriously. "She was in a car accident and she lost her memory."

"Ah." Sonny finally understands. "I get it."

"Just take care of her, okay?" Jason secures his gun at the small of his back. "And I'm gonna warn you now, she has a tendency to speak her mind."

"You mean the way you did when we first met?"

"Yeah...pretty much." Jason smiles slightly. "Only she feels every emotion strongly...its easy to read how she feels."

"I like her already." Sonny admits, setting up his pots and pans. "Just do what you've gotta do. I'll take care of her."

"Thanks."

Ending the call, he tosses the phone to the side before opening the fridge. Sonny was curious about the strong connection he felt between Jason and his Elizabeth, but he never would have guessed that she was an amnesiac like Jason was. That sort of changed the whole ballgame.

A part of him had always held out hope for Jason and Robin to get back together. Mostly because he saw it as a sign that he would get back together with Brenda in the end, but now things have definitely changed and he's almost certain it could be for the better.

Deciding that it was time for him to step up, Sonny calls Elizabeth and invites her over earlier than planned. If Jason is as serious as Sonny thinks he is, he figures that getting to know her would be a good thing right about now.

"Elizabeth, I'm glad you could make it a little early." Sonny greets her at the door. "Do you know anything about cooking?"

"Does using the microwave count?" Elizabeth questions, shrugging out of her jacket and hanging it up.

"No." Sonny laughs softly, guiding her into the kitchen. "Maybe now is as good a time as any to learn. Grab one of the aprons over there and I'll teach you how to mince tomatoes."

Elizabeth was a little surprised to be learning how to cook, but she wasn't about to turn down an opportunity to learn something new. Listening intently to everything Sonny was saying, she found that she actually loved working in the kitchen. For a first timer, Sonny was quite impressed with how fast she took to it all, but he wasn't at all surprised. Jason took to a lot of things just as fast when he started working for him.

"This has to be the best food I have ever eaten." Elizabeth compliments after finishing what's left on her plate. "It must have taken a long time to be so good at that."

"I learnt to perfect a lot of my recipes over the years." Sonny confirms. "Just stick with it and you'll be cooking your own recipes soon enough."

"Sonny, I hope don't mind me just..." Robin's voice catches them by surprise, causing them to look towards the door. "...stopping by. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude."

"Don't be silly." Sonny rises from his seat, excusing himself before walking over to hug her. "I'm always happy to see you. Come on in, we were just about to have dessert."

"Elizabeth, its nice to see you again." Robin comments, walking over to the table with Sonny after hanging up her coat.

"Sure." Elizabeth says simply. "I'm gonna clear the dishes."

"You don't have to..." Sonny starts to say when she cuts him off.

"I insist." Elizabeth scoops them up before walking off to the kitchen.

Jason wasn't kidding when he said she spoke her mind or that her emotions was clear for everyone to see. It would be damn near impossible to get that kind of reaction out of Jason if he really didn't want to show any emotion. Sonny kind of feels that its a good balance for them. One that can hide their emotions while the other displays it for all to see.

"Thanks for dinner, Sonny." Elizabeth says, setting the dessert on the table. "But I'm going to call it a night."

"Elizabeth, is everything okay?" Robin asks before Sonny can respond. "You don't have to leave on my account."

"Me leaving has nothing to do with you." Elizabeth says firmly before turning to Sonny. "This was a lot of fun. I hope we can cook together again soon."

"Anytime." Sonny assures, walking her to the door. "Have a good night."

"I plan to." Elizabeth glances back at Robin before taking her jacket and leaving the penthouse. "Didn't mean to intrude, my ass."

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews.**

**Let me know what you think!**

**Remember to Smile!**

**- ROCkER -**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

Settling things a lot faster than he had anticipated, Jason arrives home just past midnight. The building is as quiet as it usually is at that time of night, making his return home unobserved by anyone in the vicinity. He was tempted to call Sonny and see how dinner went, but he figures that call can wait for morning. Especially if Elizabeth isn't in a sharing mood.

"Be careful." Johnny warns, opening the door for Jason. "And before you ask...it was all her."

Eyeing the guard for a moment, certain he didn't want an answer, Jason walks into the penthouse before Johnny closes the door behind him. Flipping on the light switch, Jason was more than shocked to find a few cans of beer, almost a six pack of empty beer bottles, and two empty bottles of tequila.

Glancing at the stairs, Jason drops his jacket and gun on the table before cleaning up the mess in the living room. From the looks of things, dinner probably didn't go that well, which meant he had to talk to Sonny in the morning for sure.

Rolling up his sleeves to his elbows, Jason got to work on the living room. Throwing things away and wiping up any spilled alcohol that found its way onto the coffee table. He, of course, wasn't prepared for the trash bin full of empty beer cans that apparently made it into the trash.

Shaking his head, Jason could only imagine what kind of hangover awaited her in the morning. Throwing the trash into the spare trash bin, Jason walks upstairs to his bedroom to unwind from work. Taking a long hot shower and getting dressed before looking in on Elizabeth.

Opening the door to her room, Jason found her sprawled out on the bed, not even bothering to cover herself with the blanket. Whatever happened last night, he's thankful that she was lucid enough to do her drinking in the penthouse instead of at a bar.

He'll find out what happened in the morning. For now, he's going to make sure that her choice to drink doesn't haunt her too badly in the morning. Adjusting her in bed, Jason tucks her in before placing a soft kiss upon her forehead, knowing he wasn't about to get a wink of sleep like he had planned.

Closing the door to her bedroom, leaving it open a crack, Jason heads downstairs with one of his guidebooks. Getting comfortable on his club chair, he glances over at the liquor bar, making a mental note to have it removed before settling in with his guidebook to Venice.

"Jason?" Elizabeth walks down the stairs hours later, the hangover in full affect.

"Here." Jason hands her a couple hangover helper pills and a bottle of water. "It'll help, trust me."

Eyeing him skeptically, Elizabeth shrugs her shoulders before popping the pills into her mouth and flushing it down with the bottle of water. All that alcohol seemed like the right choice at the time, but now she was sorely regretting how much she took in.

"You gonna tell me why you drank so much?" Jason questions as she grabs her jacket from the couch.

"Sure." Elizabeth shrugs into it, turning to face him. "I started with the cans of beer, but I didn't feel anything. Then I moved to the bottles because Johnny said that they were stronger, but that didn't work either. So, I ended up with a bottle of tequila. After a while I started to feel it and, by the time I was numb enough to go to sleep, I had drank two bottles of the stuff."

"Okay." Jason looks at her confusedly. "Let me rephrase that...why did you drink in the first place?"

"Felt like it." she says simply. "We should go before I'm late for work."

"You felt like it?" Jason counters, stopping her from walking to the door. "That's it? You drowned yourself in alcohol because you felt like it?"

"Pretty much." she arches her eyebrow, as if daring him to challenge her.

"Lets go." Jason pulls open the door, waiting for her to walk out of the penthouse before locking. He didn't believe her reason for a second.

The ride to Kelly's was done in silence, mostly because Elizabeth reclined in the chair and closed her eyes. He could tell that the hangover was wearing off, but she was still feeling the affects of it. She should be fine in an hour.

Arriving at the diner, Elizabeth is less that pleased to find Robin walking out of the diner just as she and Jason get there.

"Jason, do you have a minute to talk?" Robin questions after greetings are exchanged between the three.

"Uh, sure." Jason turns to Elizabeth. "I'll be right in, okay?"

"Sure." Elizabeth eyes Robin, warning her with her eyes, before walking into the diner.

Elizabeth greets the other waitresses before tying on her apron and getting her order booklet. Counting in her mind, something Jason said helps, but finding herself that much closer to strangling the woman standing with him outside. The cause of her drinking binge coming to mind as she stares outside at him.

_A knock sounds at the door, making Elizabeth curse the stupid thing as she yanks it open, stopping in her tracks at the sight of Robin._

_"Can I come in?" Robin asks, a polite smile on her face._

_"Can you leave?" Elizabeth counters, folding her arms across her chest._

_"Look, I don't get it." Robin looks at her curiously. "Did I do something wrong?"_

_"You can't be that naive." Elizabeth says seriously. "I know what you want. You can drop the act."_

_"What exactly do you think I want?"_

_"I don't think." Elizabeth says firmly. "I know. There's a difference."_

_"Fine." Robin throws her hands up. "What do you know I want?"_

_"Jason." Elizabeth notes the slight truth shine in Robin's eyes. "Didn't think I knew that one, huh?"_

_"Why do you care if I want my ex-boyfriend back?" Robin looks at her intently. "You're just friends."_

_"Sure." Elizabeth stares at her plainly. "Friends that live together. That kiss. That want to be with each other almost all the time."_

_"Jason and I...what we have can't be explained." Robin defends. "A love like ours doesn't just disappear. He still loves me."_

_"That may be true, but he's not with you, is he?" Elizabeth points out bluntly. "No. He's with me."_

_"That may also be true." Robin accepts that much. "But have you ever stopped to wonder, if you had never gotten into that car accident...if you had never lost your memory...would you and Jason even be together right now?"_

_"What's your point?"_

_"My point is that, if you hadn't lost your memory and I showed up on Jason's doorstep like I did, he'd be with me." Robin says rather proudly. "He loves me and you know it, don't you? You can see it."_

_"What I know is that he chose me." Elizabeth states, taking a few steps back. "And that's all I need to know."_

_Eyeing her intently for a moment longer before slamming the door in her face._

Shaking her head, Elizabeth tends to the customers, knowing that this job had to go well. If her image was important for her case, she'd be all over Robin - yanking every last strand of hair off her head. Taking a deep breath, she continues to count in her head as she takes orders and serves coffee.

"You want to have dinner tonight?" Robin looks at him a little surprised.

"There's just some stuff we need to talk about." Jason explains. "Are you gonna be free?"

"Sure." Robin says without hesitation. "Where do you want to have dinner at?"

"Here."

"Here?" Robin didn't see that one coming.

"Yeah." Jason shakes his head. "Eight o'clock?"

"I'll be here." Robin accepts.

"Great. See you then." Jason hugs her slightly before walking into the diner.

Watching from the doorway, Robin watches as Jason talks to Elizabeth, pulling her into his arms. Taking a deep breath, Robin walks off to meet with Brenda. She's going to see him for dinner and they'll talk about everything then. Everything.

"I'll pick you up after your shift and take you on that ride I promised, okay?" Jason says, tucking a few strands of hair behind her ear.

"Sounds like a plan." Elizabeth smiles slightly. "You should get to work."

"Right." Jason kisses her lips softly before pulling away completely. "See you later."

"Count on it." Elizabeth replies, picking up the to-go cup of coffee for him. "Be careful. Its hot."

"Aw, you do care."

"Goodbye, Jason." Elizabeth pushes him gently. "And you better not be late."

"I won't be." Jason walks to the door, glancing back at her once more before leaving the diner.

"_327...328...329..._" she continues to count in her mind. "_330...331...332...333..._"

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews.**

**Let me know what you think!**

**Remember to SMILE!**

**- ROCkER -**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

Her heart is racing in rhythm with the roar of the engine. Closing her eyes, Elizabeth lets her hair flow with the wind, angling her head back to feel the embrace of the breeze. All her worries, everything that had been clouding her mind, simply melts away as she holds on tight to Jason. Life always seems perfect whenever she found herself on the back of his motorcycle.

They've been driving around aimlessly, simply see how fast they could go before they hit city limits before they turn back around again. For those precious hours, its as if no one can touch them. Everything and everyone left behind as they chase the wind.

"Hey." Jason stops her from walking away when they dismount the bike in the clearing. "You feeling up to talking?"

"Depends on the topic of conversation, I guess." Elizabeth turns her body to face him.

"How about the topic of you getting drunk?"

"How about you drop it?" Elizabeth counters, folding her arms across her chest. "I'm not a little kid. I felt like drinking so I drank."

"I'd believe that if your eyes weren't telling me a different story." Jason retorts, watching as she caves in slightly.

"I was angry." Elizabeth concedes. "Can't a girl get angry?"

"Depends on the reason behind the anger."

"Are we seriously having this conversation?" Elizabeth looks at him intently, wanting him to stop before he gets the answers out of her.

"Yes." Jason guides her to an old cement bench. "We are seriously having this conversation."

"How about we don't and pretend that we did?"

"I don't know how to pretend." Jason points out. "And neither do you."

"The saddest part about what you said is that its true." Elizabeth takes a deep breath. "Do you ever miss the little things like that?"

"Sometimes." Jason admits. "But I realized that we all have things we can and can't do. There's no point in focusing on what you can't do when there's still a lot you can learn."

"True." Elizabeth stands up and walks over to the statue. "I have to admit its hard sometimes...not being like everyone else, I mean."

"Why would you want to be like everyone else?" Jason questions, walking over to stand a few steps behind her. "People spend their whole lives trying to stand out...we're already there."

"But where are we really?" Elizabeth turns to look up at him. "If we're not where everyone else is, where are we?"

"Nowhere." Jason says, framing her face in his hands. "We are nowhere."

"Nowhere?" Elizabeth looks at him questioningly. "And you like it like that?"

"As long as I'm with you, nowhere is perfect." Jason leans in slightly, watching as her eyes slide close, before claiming her lips. "And there's no place else I'd rather be."

Robin's getting into her car, about to head to the diner for dinner with Jason a little early, when she sees a sight that couldn't be real. Jason had told her that his bike would be down for a while, yet there he was with her. She couldn't understand why he'd lie about that, but something even more confusing was taking hold of her at that moment. He's not driving. She is. Closing the door, Robin starts up her car and heads off to the diner, pushing any thoughts of the two out of her head.

"Thank you." Elizabeth smiles brightly, handing him the keys to his bike. "I seriously love driving."

"I know." Jason smiles slightly, allowing the topic of her drinking to drop for now. "All you have to do is ask, you know that, right?"

"Yeah...I know that." Elizabeth shakes her head, allowing him to take her hand and lead her into the building. "Do you have to work tonight?"

"No, why?"

"I was thinking..." Elizabeth turns to face him when they get off the elevator on their floor. "Maybe we can have dinner in...I really want to try cooking for you. Sonny taught me some stuff and I'd love to try it in our kitchen."

"I'd love that, really, I would." Jason looks at her apologetically. "But I'm having dinner with Robin."

"Of course you are." Elizabeth shakes her head. "Should have guessed that one."

"Elizabeth, wait." Jason calls to her as she walks to their door.

"Its fine." Elizabeth slips the key into the lock, pushing the door open once its unlocked. "You go have fun with Robin."

"Would you let me explain, please?" Jason says, standing on the other side of the doorway from her.

"What's to explain?" Elizabeth counters. "You're having dinner with Robin. Even I can grasp that much."

"I just need to talk to her about some stuff." Jason tries to explain. "I need her to know where I stand. That I've moved on with you and that she needs to move on as well."

"And you need to have dinner to do that?" Elizabeth counters, folding her arms across her chest.

"With our history, I owe it to her." Jason replies, eyeing her almost pleadingly. "Its only right."

"Right for who?" Elizabeth looks at him intently. "Because, as far as I'm concerned, you can tell Robin everything you need to tell her without having dinner with her."

"It would be easier for you to understand if..."

"If I had my memory?" Elizabeth cuts him off. "If I remembered my past and had history like you share with Robin?"

"That's not what I said."

"You might as well have." Elizabeth states, taking a step back. "Go have your talk with Robin. Hell, kiss her if that's what you want."

"Elizabe..." his words are cut off when she slams the door in his face, the door lock clicking into place.

With a loud sigh, Jason digs for his key before unlocking the door and walking into the penthouse. He's closing the door as he catches sight of her searching the wet bar for a bottle of tequila. Elizabeth looks at him, rolls her eyes, and returns to sifting through the bottles.

"Stop." Jason says, taking away the bottle when she pulls it out of the lot. "Drinking doesn't solve anything."

"It solved everything the other night." Elizabeth says plainly, holding out her hand for the bottle. "Give it to me."

"No!" Jason puts it down before blocking her way. "Will you please let me explain?"

"Because it went so well at the door, right?"

"Elizabeth."

"Fine." Elizabeth allows him to walk her over to the couch. "I'm all ears."

"I was going to say that it would be easier for you to understand if you were there when me and Robin were together." Jason explains, stopping her when she tries to cut in. "Things between me and Robin had been complicated. I owe it to her to be gentle with this."

"You still care about her a lot, don't you?"

"She's one of the few friends I have." Jason admits. "So, yeah, I care about her."

"You respect her?"

"Of course." Jason says without hesitation. "I have no reason not to."

"I know." Elizabeth sighs. "You're honestly a really great guy, Jason. If only Robin deserved your respect."

"What does that mean?"

"Nothing." Elizabeth stands up, only to be stopped by Jason.

"Don't do that." Jason says seriously. "What did you mean by if only Robin deserved my respect?"

"It doesn't matter." Elizabeth feels like kicking herself for opening this up again. "You should get going. You're gonna be late for you dinner."

"I'm not letting this drop." Jason says seriously. "Tell me what you meant by that."

"Fine, don't blame me for what I tell you." Elizabeth says firmly. "You asked for it."

"Dully noted." Jason counters. "Just tell me."

"Your perfect ex-girlfriend has been doing everything she can to get me to leave you." Elizabeth watches as a fire is lit behind his eyes. "First she tells me that I'm using you. That I'm taking advantage of your kindness..."

"Taking advantage of my kindness?" Jason mind goes to the day she tried to leave him. "Is she the reason you wanted to get a job and move out?"

"She made some sense." Elizabeth shrugs. "I was basically taking advantage."

"No, you weren't." Jason says firmly. "I'm the one that asked you to be here."

"Anyway, after "accidentally" intruding on my dinner with Sonny, she comes by the penthouse after I already came home." Elizabeth takes a deep breath. "She basically tries to convince me that you'd be with her if I never got into my accident. That you're in love with her and you always will be."

Jason stares into her eyes for a long moment, seeing just how affected she has been by Robin's words, hating it more than anything. Every part of him is filled with anger, knowing that Robin's the one that tried to hurt Elizabeth, even though she knows how hard it was for him after his accident.

"Jason, who are you calling?" Elizabeth asks when he pulls out his cellphone. "Jason?"

"Give me a second." Jason says softly, dialing a familiar number before turning his back to Elizabeth. "Hey, its me."

"Jason?" Robin's voice replies, a little surprised. "Are you on your way?"

"No. Something's come up." Jason says plainly. "I'm sorry, but I can't get out of it."

"Its okay."

"No, its really not." Jason says firmly. "We really need to talk, though. Can you meet me at the diner in the morning?"

"Sure." Robin says without hesitation. "Of course."

"Great. See you then." Jason says quickly before ending the call.

"Why did you just do that?" Elizabeth asks when he turns around to look at her.

"Just because." Jason says simply. "So...about dinner, what were you thinking about cooking?"

"Pasta." Elizabeth eyes him confusedly. "You any good at cooking it?"

"Its one of the few dishes I can actually cook perfectly." Jason admits, smiling slightly as he pulls her into his arms. "I'm sorry for what Robin said. I'm with you because I want to be...plain and simple, okay?"

"Okay." Elizabeth accepts, closing her eyes as his lips touches her softly. "I'm sorry I overreacted earlier."

"You never have to apologize to me." Jason says seriously. "There are going to be times when I overreact and we fight about it...its all a part of being together. Make no mistake, no matter how much we fight, I'm not going anywhere. You're it for me."

"You're it for me, too." Elizabeth says sincerely. "We should probably start cooking now."

"Definitely." Jason releases her, taking hold of her hand in his and placing a soft kiss atop of it before guiding her to the kitchen.

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews.**

**Let me know what you think!**

**Remember to SMILE!**

**- ROCkER -**


	20. Chapter 20

**Quick A/N: I just created a new site with Yuku. Site information on my profile, just click on my pen name. Hope you check it out. Now, without further ado, please enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty**

Dinner is done by candlelight. Sitting across from each other, on either side of the coffee table, they eat in silence. No words need be spoken for everything that needed to be voiced has already be heard. Elizabeth didn't need anymore convincing, her heart and mind content in Jason's devotion to her. Jason having accepted that she has chosen to being his for the foreseeable future.

There was unique charge in the air, both knowing that they belonged to the other, never before realizing that they could belong to someone and still feel free. As dinner comes to an end, Jason walks over to the sound system, putting on something slow and soft. Instantly she realizes what he's getting at and allows him to help her up from the floor.

The soothing melody floats in the air as they embrace each other for their dance. Her right hand is positioned over his heart, her other hand laced with his right hand while his left hand encircles her waist. Their bodies flush against each other. It was the most intimate moment she's been in with him and not in the sense of physical proximity.

Even though she didn't understand a lot, she knew that letting him into her heart was a huge risk. A risk she didn't know if she was ready to take, but there he was regardless. He has made his way into the very core of her being and there was no way she'd ever be rid of his presence within her. He has been sewn into the very fabric of who she is and there was no turning back now. There was no denying it. No pretending. He's a part of her now and he always will be.

Swaying to the music, they stare into each other's eyes, both knowing that they've slipped into a new stage of their relationship. One without a turning point. As she stares into his eyes, she wonders if the captivation would ever fade. If they'd ever stop being amazed with each other just by staring into the other's eyes.

"I trust you." Elizabeth's soft voice breaks through the music playing.

He stares at her in astonishment before a soft smile touches his lips. He knows, better than anyone, just how hard it was for her to say that. It had been damn near impossible for him to voice such sentiments to Robin and Sonny at first.

"I trust you, too." he says with conviction. "More than anyone."

"Really?" Elizabeth looks at him a little shocked. "Even more than Sonny?"

"Yeah." Jason confirms. "Even more than Sonny."

"Thank you." she tries to fight the tears that well up in her eyes, but its no use. "That means everything to me."

He leans in to her as her eyes slide closed, their lips meeting in a whisper of an embrace. Their hearts are overflowing with emotions, something Jason wasn't used to, making the kiss that much more intimate. Soft and slow at first, their kiss deepens as her arms move up to rest on his shoulders, her fingers threading themselves through the hair at his nape.

Jason's arms move to wrap around her waist, holding her as close as he could manage as the kiss takes on a life of its own. Without any thought, he lifts her up off the floor, prompting her to wrap her legs around his waist as he turns her around. Hoping, if this goes where he thinks its going, that they make it to the bed.

Fate played a different hand, making it impossible for them to get past the first landing of the stairs. Elizabeth lays on her back, flush against the carpeted landing, staring up with lust filled eyes at him. She can see he's hesitant, unsure of heading down the path they have found themselves on, but she won't let him turn back now. Not when her body is practically begging for him.

Doing away with her blouse, Elizabeth looks at him, hoping to portray her needs through her eyes. He has always been good with reading her, that of which sometimes bothers her, but she hopes he can read her now more than ever.

Their eyes lock and in that moment he's certain she has never looked more beautiful. A small voice in the back of his head tells him that they should wait. That it was too soon and he could possibly be jeopardizing their relationship by doing it now, but one look in her eyes and he was done for.

He couldn't deny her anything in that moment. No matter what the small voice said to try to convince him this was wrong, Jason stripped off his shirt, regardless, before lowering himself atop of her. If any regrets should follow after this, he'd embrace them because tonight he will give her whatever she wants.

Their bodies rock together, through the fabric of their clothes, they can feel the heat radiating from the other and the passions rise. Article after article of clothing is cast aside, each feeling more offensive than the last until finally they are skin upon skin.

Every single movement, every touch and embrace, is intensified with passion and desire. They mold together as if by creation, as if they had been destined to come together as one from the start of it all. Jason had never believed it could be this intense, this breathtakingly beautiful, yet he's convinced now that it would always be that way with her.

As they come back down from their peak of ecstasy, they forsake the clothes that lay sprawled across the stairs, as Jason carries her from the landing to his bedroom. Once the door closes behind them, Elizabeth slides down to stand on her own two feet, using whatever strength she possessed to push him against the door.

He lets her take control now. Simply feeling every last drop of pleasure coursing through his veins as she does as she pleases. Her mouth roams all over his body, kissing and nibbling wherever she pleases, her tongue darting out to trace over the outlines of his abs, making her way down to the loop of his bellybutton before making her way back up.

She has never felt so much at one time. Every part of her wanting to keep it going, to keep the fire burning, to keep the onslaught of emotions pumping through her veins. Slowly but surely they make their way to his bed, Elizabeth straddling him the moment they fall upon it.

She finds she loves being in control, much like she loves to drive, and she takes full advantage of the chance. She'll relinquish control to him soon, like she always does, because she knows that it feels just as good with him in the lead.

Hours they spend, memorizing each other, learning what makes them feel the most pleasure, feel the most exhilarated. In spite of themselves, their energy runs out and they resign to laying in each other's arms, the air riddled with the smell of their passionate embraces.

"Jason?" she whispers, nestling in against him, needing to feel his body flush against hers.

"Yeah?" he replies, his eyes closed, having been listening to the sound of her breathing.

"...never mind." she replies with a soft sigh. "It doesn't matter."

"If its on your mind, then it does matter." Jason counters, using his finger to lift her gaze to meet his. "What is it?"

"Its nothing."

"Its never nothing with you." Jason points out. "You never have to hide from me."

"You might think its silly." she looks at him a little nervously. "But...was I okay? You know...earlier."

The look in her eyes tells him exactly what she meant and he honestly couldn't believe she could make him fall in love with her anymore than he already has.

"You were perfect." Jason says with conviction. "Absolutely one of a kind."

"Good." she says with a slight smirk. "We should probably go to sleep now since we both have an early morning."

"Yeah...I guess we should." Jason accepts, looking at her intently when she moves to get out of bed. "Where're you going?"

"My room." Elizabeth shrugs her shoulders. "You just agreed that we need to go to sleep."

"Yeah, I did." Jason sits up, taking her hand in his. "But I was hoping you'd be staying in here tonight."

"You want me to sleep in your room?"

"More like...sleep in our room." Jason corrects. "If you want to, that is."

"Our room." Elizabeth smiles slightly, allowing him to wrap his arms around her. "I think I like the sound of that."

"Me, too." Jason kisses her softly upon her lips. "So, will you get back in our bed?"

"You're really milking this 'our' thing, huh?" Elizabeth slides back into bed, back into the warmth of his embrace.

"Yeah." Jason chuckles softly, holding her close. "Is that wrong?"

"No." she whispers, closing her eyes as she nestles into him. "Its perfect."

"Sweet dreams." he whispers, placing a soft kiss upon her forehead before he, too, closes his eyes.

When morning comes, Jason awakes to her in his arms, finding himself the most relaxed he has ever felt in a long time. Kissing her awake, Jason smiles as he pulls away, brushing away the few strands of hair that have fallen over her face. In that moment, both of them realize that they wouldn't mind waking up to each other every morning.

Not a single words is spoken as they move to get ready. They found that words weren't necessary that morning, simply the feeling that surrounds them is enough. Every look exchange, every small embrace, its all perfect for the morning after their first time together. Even with the impeding encounter with Robin looming over them, Elizabeth couldn't care less.

They gather their things, shutting off the sound system that had played through the night, heading out to face their day ahead of them. The guards could practically feel the change in the air between the two of them, but none of them were stupid enough to voice their assumptions.

"Good morning, Robin." Elizabeth says before either Robin or Jason can speak - surprising both of them.

"Good morning?" Robin replies a little confusedly.

"I'll have your coffee waiting for you." Elizabeth says to Jason before kissing his cheek and walking in to start her shift.

Jason smiles slightly as Elizabeth walks into the establishment. He was glad to see her in better spirits in regard to Robin, almost certain that any affect his ex-girlfriend had on her is no longer on her mind. He could tell that Robin was shocked at the pleasantness that Elizabeth portrayed.

"Come on." Jason gestures to the table. "We should talk."

"Its okay." Robin shakes her head. "I get it. Loud and clear."

"Robin..."

"Its fine, Jason." Robin shrugs, knowing when to back away. "We're friends...that's it. I'll see you later, okay?"

Jason watches, a little surprised, as Robin glances into the diner before walking off. A part of him felt that was too easy, but he convinces himself to give her the benefit of the doubt. After everything that has changed between him and Elizabeth, he just didn't feel like what Robin did in the past even mattered anymore.

Taking a deep breath, he walks into the diner, right up to Elizabeth.

"Coffee, black." she holds it out to him. "Be careful. Its hot."

"I know." he replies softly, placing a soft kiss upon her lips. "See you later?"

"Obviously." she teases with a smirk. "Unless one of us closes our eyes."

"Right." Jason shakes his head, kissing her forehead before stepping away. "See you soon, then."

"Count on it." she replies before watching him walk out of the diner. "Just not soon enough for me."

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews.**

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**- ROCkER -**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty-One**

Surrounded by darkness, Elizabeth can feel herself being weighed down by something. Her feet feel cemented to the ground beneath her, every inch of her body reacting to a danger she cannot see. A danger whose threat was very much real and very much imminent.

A line shines through the darkness, illuminating the box that she had stored away beneath her bed. Her body starts to float toward it, no longer feeling constrained to the ground. The closer she gets to it, a whisper of a voice starts getting louder, until she can hear it clearly.

"You're in danger." the voice says in a hushed tone. "Watch your back. You're in danger."

Shooting up in bed, Elizabeth gasps for air, as if she had not been breathing for more than a few minutes. Sweat trickles down her forehead, trailing its way down her neck, as she tries to calm herself down. Her heart is pounding so loudly that she can hear it in her ears.

Looking over at Jason, she couldn't help but smile slightly. He looked so peaceful laying there in a deep slumber. What she wouldn't give to be able to go to sleep and finally make it through an entire night without dreaming.

Knowing she wasn't about to fall back to sleep, Elizabeth slides out of bed, pulling on her robe before making her way to the door. As she stands in the doorway, she glances back at Jason once more before walking out of the room and closing the door.

Making her steps light, Elizabeth slips into her room, which has now been labelled the guest room. Kneeling beside her bed, she reaches for the box beneath it. The hushed voice echoes in the recess of her mind, warning her to be careful. That she was very much in danger, but not divulging the origin of the danger itself.

Rising to her feet, Elizabeth slides onto the bed, crossing her legs beneath her before setting the box down in front of her. To open it or not to open it, that is the question, one she wasn't sure she had the answer to.

A soft knock draws her attention to the door, finding Jason standing there, leaning against the doorjamb. She smiles slightly at him, gesturing for him to walk into the room, making room for him on the bed beside her. As he makes the venture to sit beside her, Elizabeth moves the box to sit on her lap.

"Is that the box from Steven's motel room?" Jason inquires, leaning back against the headboard, the fatigue still coursing through him.

"Yeah." Elizabeth confirms, running her fingers over the cover. "I still can't bring myself to open it."

"Give yourself time." Jason puts his hand over hers. "And when you're ready, I'll be right beside you."

"I know." Elizabeth sighs, leaning back against his shoulder. "It just feels like something I have to do. Like its important that I open it."

"Okay, how about you leave it be for now?" Jason suggests, rubbing her arms soothingly. "I'm sure it'll keep till morning and we can figure it out from there."

"I guess." Elizabeth takes a deep breath before handing him the box to set down on the side table. "Should we go back to our room?"

"Looks like I'm not the only one milking this whole "our" thing." Jason teases, helping her out of bed.

"What can I say?" Elizabeth shrugs, following him out of the room. "You're weirdness has grown on me."

"Oh yeah?" Jason smirks, turning to face her. "Lets see how you like this one."

Jason grabs her from her waist, tossing her onto his shoulder and carrying her to their room with her laughing the entire way. Kicking the door closed behind them, it was Jason's turn to hold her up against the door, staring deeply into her beautiful blue eyes.

"I know I keep saying this, but I need you to believe it." Jason says in a soft tone, sliding his hands up to embrace her face. "I'm here for you, no matter what. You can count on me."

"I do." Elizabeth assures, sliding her hands to rest over his. "I admit, sometimes I tend to forget that, but it doesn't take me that long to remember. All I have to do is think about you and there it is."

"I know we can't do it now, but once this is all settled...once we deal with the courts and secure your independence..." Jason takes a deep breath. "...I'm going to take you away from here...show you the world."

"What about your business?" she counters, staring at him intently. "Don't you have to be here for that."

"I'll handle it." Jason says simply. "Sonny will just have to take it back."

"What if he doesn't?"

"Then it'll crumble." Jason says with conviction. "I never wanted to be the head of an organization. I still don't."

"Yet you are." Elizabeth reminds him. "How will you get out of it?"

"I'll find a way." Jason promises. "Nothing will stop me from showing you there's more to this world than Port Charles."

"Sounds perfect." Elizabeth smiles, unable to imagine it, but knowing that it would be something to hope for. "I saw a guidebook on Italy in the living room. It looks like a good place to start."

"Italy it is then." Jason says without hesitation. "I'll take you anywhere you want to go."

"Once my life is mine again, right?"

"Its already yours." Jason brushes a few strands of hair from her face. "But...yeah."

"Okay." Elizabeth leans into him. "For now...I'll settle for what we have right here, right now."

"And what's that?"

"Each other." she says simply. "And that's all we need."

"Its all I'll ever need." Jason watches as she closes her eyes before his, too, closes before their lips meet.

He found that it was easy, talking to her and just being with her, everything with her is simple. Direct. To the point. Everything he never thought he'd be able to say, things he had a hard time even coming up with the words to express, somehow just flow out of him when he's with her.

No thought goes into what he says because it comes from a place deep within. His heart of hearts. Though their lives are both riddled with complications and confusions, he knows that at the center of it all, he has her and she has him. Something they both have come to rely on in such a profound way.

Cradling her in his arms, Jason carries her to their bed, laying her down before sliding in beside her. Wrapping their arms around each other, Jason and Elizabeth resign to falling asleep in each other's arms. For a while, he simply listens to her breath, waiting for her to fall back to sleep before he allows the fatigue to put him under.

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews.**

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**- ROCkER -**


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

Steven Lars Webber had to be the most elusive, practically non-existent human being that Francis has ever been ordered to go skeleton hunting on. Making the long, almost painful, venture to Jason's penthouse, Francis wasn't too thrilled to be the one to say that he had been unsuccessful. Never, in all his life, has Francis ever come up empty. NEVER! To be beat by a simple man, he just isn't a happy camper.

The ding echoes through the empty hallway as Francis is let out on the penthouse level. He doesn't fail to notice the lack of guards at the door, a telltale sign that Elizabeth wasn't inside. For some reason, that made it a little easier for Francis. He could see how badly it affected both Jason and Elizabeth that they could put the pieces together.

Of course, Francis suggested they open the box already, but Jason just gives him a stern glare before changing the subject. The hearing was fastly approaching, Alexis Davis not one to fool around, and Francis wanted nothing more than to give Jason some kind of lead. So much for that, though.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Jason shuts the closet door after storing his gun in the lock box. With Elizabeth out of the house, he has been trying to figure out a way to convince Sonny to take back the business. Things have been going pretty smoothly with slowly dragging Sonny back into the business. Dropping small hints here and there, asking him for help even if he didn't need it, anything to pull him back into the thick of it.

The knock pulls him out of his inner thoughts to answer the door. Finding Francis on the other side, Jason steps aside to allow him entrance into the penthouse before closing the door. From the look on the guard's face, Jason could already tell it wasn't going to be good news. Something he desperately needed at the moment.

"Drink?" Jason offers, walking over to the wet bar and pouring himself a glass of whiskey.

"Nah." Francis shakes his head, remaining by the door. "This won't take much time."

"Figured as much." Jason admits, downing the contents of the glass before pouring himself another and walking over to stand in front of him. "What do you have?"

"Nothing." Francis hands him the thin file. "Aside from the birth and death certificate, there's absolutely nothing to find on Steven Lars Webber."

"Nothing?" Jason sets his glass down, opening the file to find both certificates within. "Huh."

"I've done everything possible, Jase." Francis defends himself, not sure why he's even bothering. "I've worked all my contacts and there's literally nothing to find."

"Relax." Jason shuts the file, storing it in his desk. "You did good."

"If there was more I could do...wait, what?" Francis looks at him confusedly. "How did I do good? I didn't find anything of use."

"You just did." Jason smiles slightly, pulling open the door for the guard. "Take the day off...take the family out, my treat."

Francis stared on in shock as Jason closed the door - retreating back into his penthouse.

"What the hell just happened?" Francis mutters to himself as he turns around and gets on the elevator.

While the very confused guard leaves the building, Jason sprints upstairs to his bedroom closet, pulling out a small file box from the top shelf. Steven's name had been a shadow of a memory, something telling him that he knew that name. Somehow, someway, he knew the brother. Now, he finally realizes exactly how he knew him.

"Gotcha!" Jason pulls out a file card. "You slick, son of a bitch."

Elizabeth is wrist deep in clay, shaping and molding it into a model for the house that she envisions building on the spot just past the bridge. In spite of her protests, Jason purchased it from the bank, telling her it was a gift from him to her.

Of course he explained to her what it meant to receive a gift before telling her about purchasing the lot. Making her realize, without a doubt, that he played her, but she didn't mind. It simply opened up the chance for her to buy him something he wants and calling it a gift so he wouldn't be able to turn it down or complain.

Through her focus, the sound of her cellphone ringing can be heard, reminding her that Jason had insisted on her getting one. She hates the thing, but she keeps it with her because it put his mind at ease. Having to remind herself not to through it at the wall from time to time.

"Yeah?" she answers when she's able to do it without putting clay all over the device.

"Its time we open the box." Jason's voice replies in a soft tone.

"Okay." Elizabeth pushes the table away, walking over to the sink to wash her hands. "I'm on my way."

"How's the new studio?"

"Its alot roomier than the other one." Elizabeth admits, drying her hands on the towel. "Johnny offered to paint it this weekend."

"You want to paint it?"

"No...I just said he offered." Elizabeth counters, slipping into her jacket before walking out of the studio. "I'll see you when I get home."

Ending the call, the guards follow her to the car and drive her back to the penthouse. Elizabeth was curious, to say the least, about what has brought on Jason's sudden conviction about opening the box. Every part of her is far from ready to delve into the complications of opening the box, but she trusts he knows what he's doing - even if she had no clue.

"Hey." Jason meets her at the door, guiding her inside as the guards take their posts.

"Are you sure about this?" Elizabeth questions, walking with him to the couch.

"Trust me." Jason implores her. "I'll explain later, okay?"

"If you say so." Elizabeth's shaky hands reach for the cover, lifting it off the box. "There...its open. Now what?"

"Now, we figure out if I'm right." Jason says, taking out item by item.

"Do we want you to be right?" Elizabeth questions as she places one hand over his arm to stop him.

"Honestly?" Jason looks at her intently. "Not really."

"Not what I wanted to hear." Elizabeth sighs, removing her hand from his arm. "I guess we can't hide from it forever."

While they sift through the mysterious box, searching for a clue to help them piece together the pieces of her memory, the man, known to be dead, lays unconscious in an unknown location off the coast of some unknown country. Average height, short light brown hair, average muscular build. Hooked to monitors and restrained to a gurney, things don't look too promising for the young man whose life hangs in the balance.

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews.**

**Let me know what you think!**

**Remember to SMILE!**

**- ROCkER -**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

It was no secret that Elizabeth's mind couldn't grasp certain information the way others' were able to, but - in this instance - she had no idea what she was looking at. From the look on Jason's face, it seemed that he, too, could not begin to understand what they had unearthed.

A few books are lined with the most confusing code Jason had ever laid eyes on. Though they felt familiar, Elizabeth couldn't - for the life of her - figure out a single thing written within the leather-bound books. Setting them aside momentarily, they moved on to what looked like an address book. That, too, written in some form of code.

Before they can focus on it much more, Jason has to leave on business. Assuring him that she'd be alright, Elizabeth flips through the items once more - begging herself to remember something. Anything! Even a sliver of a memory, a flicker of an idea to what she was supposed to be seeing.

Thumbing the address book, Elizabeth stumbles onto something that she had not noticed before. Peeling back the paper of the inside of the leather cover, Elizabeth almost jumped in excitement for she found something to lead her down the right path.

_Lizzie,_

_I hate to write this to you, but you need to be aware in case something happens to me._  
_Whether you want to believe it or not, you'll be in danger now that I'm gone. Your entire life will_  
_start to come into question and you'll start to learn things about our perfect family that I tried my hardest_  
_to keep from you._

_I know you've noticed things for me have been on edge lately, something I really love about you._  
_That, as hard as I try to hide myself from you, you always find a way to see through me and figure it all out._  
_Though, that doesn't always only apply to me does it? You have a way with a lot of different people. Almost all the time._  
_I'm afraid, however, that your beautiful trait may cause more problems than it will solve._

_I can't write much here, in the large chance that this will fall into the wrong hands. Just remember what I told you, Lizzie._  
_You are not safe. You won't be as long as the danger is very much real. Find someone that you can trust with your life and, please,_  
_I beg of you, do not finish what I started._

_I mean it, Lizzie. The danger is very real and its very lethal. I will leave you on this last note, dear sister, do not trust anyone in our family._  
_I implore you to believe me when I say, no one can be trusted. Least of all Sarah._

_Be safe and know that I've always loved you more than my own life. I wish things would have ended differently,_  
_preferably with me still alive, but I can't change that now. So, I guess, I'll end it with..._

_See you on the other side,_  
_Steven Lars Webber_

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Glancing at the door, Elizabeth was frozen for a moment, her body jumping into action before her mind caught up. Swiping everything back into the box, she quickly covers it and sprints for the closet, tossing the box onto the top shelf before shutting the door. She wasn't sure what made her do that, but it felt like the right thing to do.

"Elizabeth?" Johnny steps halfway into the penthouse, finding her leaning against the closet door. "You've got a visitor."

"Who?" Elizabeth counters, pushing away from the closet.

"Miss Emily Quartermaine."

"Let her in." Elizabeth says simply, walking back over to the couch. Jason told her that it would make people feel more welcome if you're further into the house rather than meeting them at the door.

Johnny smiles slightly before opening the door further to allow Emily entrance to the penthouse.

"Hi." Emily says nervously, unsure of being there at the moment.

"Hey." Elizabeth replies, trying to be friendly, but not sure if she could manage it.

"How are you?" Emily questions. "Have you been okay?"

"I've been fine." Elizabeth concedes. "You?"

"Not too good, but I won't bore you with the details." Emily smiles weakly, looking at her warmly. "I know you probably don't even want me here..."

"That's not true." Elizabeth cuts her off. "I may not remember you, but you still mean something to me."

"I do?"

"Its hard to explain." she sighs, gesturing for Emily to walk further into the penthouse to have a seat. "I'm not going to hurt you, Emily. You can relax."

"Sorry." Emily apologizes, shrugging out of her coat before hanging it up with her purse and making her way to sit on the club chair. "I don't really know how to act around you."

"I know the feeling." Elizabeth assures, walking over to the wet bar. "Drink?"

"Water, please."

"So...is everything okay?" Elizabeth questions, walking back over to her with the glasses of water. "If you need to talk, I can listen. I make no promises that I'll understand, though."

"You really don't have to do that." Emily counters. "I'm sure you'd rather do anything instead of hearing me talk about my problems."

"I don't make empty gestures." Elizabeth says firmly. "I can see you're stressed about something. I can listen if it'll help you to talk about it."

"Um, if you're sure..."

"I am."

"Okay." Emily takes a big gulp of water before holding it on her lap. "My mother's mad because I feel like its time I moved out of the estate. I just want to feel responsible for myself and she's twisting it to mean that I want out of my family like..."

"Like Jason?" Elizabeth guesses when Emily stops her rambling.

"Yeah...like Jason." Emily smiles slightly. "Its not like that, of course, but she just won't listen to me. She feels that I shouldn't leave until I'm married."

"That's a little medieval, isn't it?"

"That's what I said." Emily laughs softly. "My mother doesn't see it that way, though, and she feels like I'm betraying her if I leave."

"No offence to your mother, but you can't live by what she wants." Elizabeth says seriously. "Its your life and you've gotta do what makes you happy. If you don't, what's the point of it all?"

"You have no idea how good it feels to talk to someone that understands me." Emily sighs contently. "I really wish my mother could understand me the way you do."

"I can't speak for your mother, but I will say that you have to do what feels right." Elizabeth encourages. "Something I learnt pretty quickly is that you only have one life...its on you to make the best of it."

"You're right." Emily admits, taking a deep breath. "I should probably get going..."

"Jason's going to be gone all night." Elizabeth finds herself saying. "If you want, I can order dinner for both of us and we can try hanging out for a while."

"I'd like that." Emily was more than surprised that Elizabeth was so open with her...so accepting. "A lot, actually."

"Okay." Elizabeth grabs her cellphone from the desk to dial the restaurant.

"You got a cellphone?"

"Your brother insisted." Elizabeth says plainly, plopping back down on the couch. "To be honest, I hate this thing."

"I hate mine, too." Emily chuckles. "It always rings at the worst possible time."

"Yeah...it does." Elizabeth eyes her intently before returning her attention to the phone, putting in her order before handing it to Emily to place her order.

For the most part, she didn't mind having Emily there. Though she didn't understand it, she felt a sort of devotion to her boyfriend's sister. Like most of the life before the accident, its only a shadow of a feeling, barely there but still able to be felt. Accepting it for what it is, Elizabeth doesn't question it, simply allowing herself to feel for the other woman.

"Emily?" Jason's voice prompts both women to look at him.

"Hey, you." Emily rises to her feet to hug her brother. "Long time no see."

"Everything okay?" Elizabeth walks over to him once Emily steps aside.

"Yeah...I finished early." Jason looks between the two of them. "Everything okay here?"

"Relax, Jason." Emily laughs softly. "We were just hanging out."

"Right." Jason shakes his head. "You should head home, its getting late."

"Whatever you say, dad." Emily turns to Elizabeth. "Thank you for tonight...I hope we can do it again soon."

"Sure." Elizabeth smiles slightly. "We'll see."

"Okay." Emily gathers her things. "And thanks for the ear...I'm gonna do it."

"Good for you." Elizabeth says sincerely. "Let me know if I can help in any way."

"I will." Emily says goodbye once more before leaving the penthouse.

"What was that about?" Jason asks as she helps him out of his jacket. "Should I be worried?"

"She's been thinking about moving out of her family home." Elizabeth says simply, locking away his gun for him. "We talked about it and I told her that she needed to live for herself."

"I told you so."

"Excuse me?"

"I told you that you could be friends with my sister and the world wouldn't explode." Jason teases, pulling her into his arms. "I'm sorry I got pulled away on business."

"Its okay, Jason." Elizabeth assures him. "It gave me a chance to really talk with Emily and I kind of like the idea of having another female to talk to."

"I'm glad." he says simply, placing a soft kiss upon her lips. "On the bright side, tonight has gotten me that much closer to Sonny reclaiming his business."

"Good." Elizabeth stares up at him wholeheartedly. "The sooner he takes back his business, the better it is for you."

"For us." Jason corrects. "If not for you, I probably wouldn't have the strength to leave the only life I've ever known."

"I'm sure you would have." Elizabeth counters. "Given the right reasons...you could have done it on your own."

"I doubt that." Jason shakes his head, knowing just how strong the business pulls him in. "Anyway, how about we go for a ride?"

"Can I drive?" Elizabeth arches her eyebrow, a seductive smirk on her face.

"Like you even have to ask." Jason hands her the keys. "Just try to stay on the road this time."

"Funny." Elizabeth grabs her jacket before taking hold of his hand and guiding him out of the penthouse. "I still make no promises."

"I knew you'd say that."

They leave the penthouse, the entire building, behind them as they drive faster and faster into the night. Both of them put the box out of their minds for the moment. They'll go back to focusing on it in the morning, with a clearer mind and a new outlook after a good ride. For now, all they wanted to do was focus on the thrill of the ride and the person sharing the experience with them. The rest can wait for the light of day.

- - - back in the undisclosed location - - -

"Please, we need to give the drug some time to take hold." a blonde petite woman pleads with her husband. "He could come around like our Lizzie did."

"Fine. I'll put it off, **for now**." he replies, staring down at his son. "Sooner or later you're going to have to accept what must be done."

"He's our son." she says firmly. "He deserves a chance."

"So be it." the man turns on his heels. "But when his time comes to an end, you'll have no choice but to focus on the one that was successful."

"Come on, sweetheart." the woman whispers into the her unconscious son's ear. "Please, just give in to the drug. He will kill you if you don't and I can't lose you. Please, Stevie, I beg of you."

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews.**

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**- ROCkER -**


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

After everything she had done, Sarah couldn't believe that the person to tear a hole into her plans is Robin Scorpio. The stupid twit just wouldn't mind her own damn business, too good of a snooper for her own damn good.

Dragging an unconscious Robin through the halls, she curses beneath her breath the whole way. It was hard enough, being the only child in their family that actually obliges their parents, but to add this pathetic brunette to her list of responsibilities - Sarah's just fuming with anger.

"I've worked too hard..." Sarah groans, lugging Robin onto a gurney. "...and too long for you to ruin it now! You brought this upon yourself, you stupid bitch."

Strapping her down, making sure there was no possible way for her to get loose, Sarah puts the finishing touch on her - a gag. That way, paired with the many floors between the sub-basements and actual workers, no one would ever find the young woman until it was far too late.

Making the call to her parents, Sarah informs them that the incompetent brunette has been taken care of - only to be told to find a way to ship her to the island. Now, how the hell was she supposed to do that? With a groan, she slams the door shut behind her, knowing she was going to have a long night ahead of her.

"Can I get you out of your focus for a minute?" Jason's voice elicits a slight smirk on Elizabeth's lips as she keeps her eyes closed - in her meditative position.

"Sure." she takes a deep breath before opening her eyes. "Everything okay?"

"How do you know something's wrong?"

"Your tone." Elizabeth says simply. "What's wrong?"

"Robin's missing."

"Missing, missing?" Elizabeth slides her feet off the couch before standing up. "Or another I-want-Jason-to-save-me kind of missing?"

"She apologized for that." Jason points out, taking her hands in his. "She's really missing this time."

"Okay." Elizabeth shrugs. "How can I help?"

"There's not much either of us can do, but I'll let you know, okay?"

"Okay." she says plainly. "Was there a reason to you pulling me out of my meditation?"

"Right." Jason shakes his head. "I wanted to let you know that I'm going over to Sonny's. He's a little on edge since Brenda blasted him about being responsible for Robin's disappearance."

"Ah." Elizabeth met Brenda and she didn't have the urge to see that woman again. "Well, let me know if there's anything I can do."

"I will." Jason promises. "Until we figure out what's going on, I'm going to add a few more guards for you."

"More guards?" she looks at him confusedly. "Is that really necessary?"

"Humor me, okay?" Jason strokes her hands with his thumbs. "I wouldn't be able to handle it if anything happened to you."

"Fine." she seriously hates when he plays that card, but she accepts it. "Add as many as you want."

"Thank you." he kisses her softly, relishing in the comfort of her lips, knowing he should be searching for Robin already. "Just watch your back. I left my spare gun in the desk, just in case."

"I'll be fine." Elizabeth insists. "Just go save your girlfriend."

"You're my girlfriend."

"I know." Elizabeth smiles slightly. "I just wanted to make sure you did, too."

"Cute." he shakes his head, kissing her once more before shrugging into his jacket. "Call me if you need me."

"I will."

Elizabeth watches him walk out of the penthouse, every part of her hoping that he'll find Robin soon and come back to her. Retaking her meditative pose, Elizabeth tries - once again - to make sense of the clutter. She tries to sift through the hazy information, trying her damnedest to remember something to help decode all the items in the box.

She knows the information on how to decode it is stuck somewhere in her mind, that much she's sure of, but the key to it all just can't be found. Its like its locked away and she has to find the right key to unlock the memory.

"Dammit!" she snaps when there's a knock at the door - she had been so close. "WHAT?"

"Everything okay?" Johnny sticks his head in a little nervously.

"Please tell me you did not just interrupt me to ask me that." she says through tight lips, eyeing him intently.

"No...I, uh..."

"Spit it out." she snaps, she knows she's being mean, but she just can't help it. She's just so on edge with this whole situation and she didn't give a damn for pleasantries at the moment.

"Its Miss Davis to see you."

"Show her in." Elizabeth turns away from the guard, walking over to get a glass of water. It looked like her memories would have to wait for now.

"Everything okay?" Alexis questions, walking into penthouse.

"Yeah, sorry about that." Elizabeth walks over to the lawyer. "I'm sure you heard Robin's missing."

"I heard." Alexis confirms, setting her briefcase down. "That of which, Sonny and Jason can handle. You and I, however, have your case to prepare for."

"Right." Elizabeth sits down. "I'm all yours."

While she and Alexis discuss the upcoming trial to declare her independence, Jason and Sonny are trying to find any kind of lead as to where Robin is. In the back of his mind, Jason had felt the same way Elizabeth did about this sudden disappearance.

A week ago, Robin and Brenda came up with this half-minded scheme to pretend that she was in danger so Jason could save her. Having this image in their minds that he'd get stuck with her and they'd talk about their relationship - ending in him realizing that she's the one for him and not Elizabeth.

Of course that plan blew up in their faces, not accounting for Jason bringing backup with him. They both should have known that Jason can't go anywhere without his guards. He's the head of the entire organization for crying out loud.

After hearing out Brenda, with Sonny's insistence, Jason accepted that Robin was really in trouble this time and that she was really missing. The only problem now is that he doesn't know where to start looking for her, absolutely no leads as to where she might be.

"That was Mac." Sonny says as he hangs up the phone. "He says that the last place he knows Robin was for sure is the hospital."

"Its not much, but its a place to start." Jason says firmly. "Lets go."

"Right behind you."

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews.**

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	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

Elizabeth, Elizabeth, Elizabeth. Everything that ever comes out of her father's mouth lately is about Elizabeth. Watch out for Elizabeth. Make sure Elizabeth doesn't get hurt. Elizabeth's the key piece to the whole operation. No harm can come unto Elizabeth. Dear Sainted, Perfect, little Elizabeth.

Her father has never praised her that way. Her father has never protected her that way. Almost every day, Sarah wishes she was the one in the car with Steven that night. That she was the one to be experimented on and that she was the success story for her father.

But no. It had to be Elizabeth. Shocker! NOT! That twit had all the luck. Not to mention the heart of the man that she loved dearly. Her father wouldn't even give Sarah that much. Lucky is meant for Elizabeth. Elizabeth, Elizabeth, Elizabeth. Stupid freaking Elizabeth. If she weren't desperate for her father's approval, Sarah would strangle Elizabeth's scrawny little neck.

"Sarah!" her father's voice snaps at her from over the phone. "Did you hear me?!"

"Yes, father." she replies obligingly. "I heard you loud and clear, sir."

"Very well." his voice returns to the emotionless tone. "I'll wait to hear from you. Don't screw this up."

"Of course not, father." she says through gritted teeth. "The newest patient is en route and should be there soon enough. I'll get started on the other matter right away."

Stupid Elizabeth. Ending the call, Sarah tosses her cellphone into the incinerator before walking to her car and getting in. Why she thought that her father would give her some kind of recognition is beyond Sarah. Her father's sole purpose in life is to keep his operation going. To succeed where others denied him.

"If you just stick to what we discussed, you'll have your independence secured when this trial concludes." Alexis says with conviction as she gathers her things.

"Thank you, for everything." Elizabeth says with gratitude. "I really appreciate how hard you're working on this."

"Are you kidding? I should be thanking you." Alexis smiles, standing upright. "I've never had this much fun on a case before. If anything, your case has just improved my many talents."

"Even so, I appreciate your dedication."

"You deserve to be in control of your life." Alexis says simply. "Get a good night's rest and I'll see you at the courthouse tomorrow morning."

"I will." Elizabeth opens the penthouse door for her lawyer. "Drive safely, Ms. Davis."

"Alexis." she kindly reminds her, having done so on more than one occasion.

"Right." Elizabeth smiles slightly. "Then...drive safely, Alexis."

Making sure that Alexis got on the elevator okay, Elizabeth closes the door to the penthouse before walking back over to the couch. She's been preparing with Alexis for the last two weeks since the day Robin disappeared. Though she knows that his attention is best put there, Elizabeth hopes that Jason will be there for her trial.

She wouldn't bring it up to him, though. She knows the kind of stress he's under right now. Robin's disappearance paired with the whole Steven mystery to uncover, Jason's running himself too thin. Elizabeth wouldn't blame him if he couldn't juggle her trial atop of everything else.

Glancing around the penthouse, Elizabeth turns away from it all and grabs her jacket. She had to get out of there. Walking out of the penthouse, she passes the guards by, taking the elevator to the lobby before walking right out of the building. They were going to have to keep up because she wasn't in the mood to give a play by play of where she was going.

Mostly because she had no idea where she was going. She just had to get out of the building. Out in the open, breathing fresh air, and clear her mind of the clutter that clouds it.

"Elizabeth." Sarah pretends to be surprised to see her, portraying the concerned sister. "How have you been?"

"Do I know you?" Elizabeth questions, even though she knows exactly who Sarah is. The voice warning her from the recess of her mind.

"Its Sarah...your sister." Sarah knows that Elizabeth knows who she is, but plays along regardless. "Lucky and I have been so worried about you. I hope you've been okay."

"I've been fine." Elizabeth says plainly. "If you'll excuse me..."

"That's good to hear." Sarah gets in her way again. "I mean, Lucky and I have just been so worried."

"You said that already."

"Right." Sarah smiles slightly. "Anyway, would you like to have lunch with me at Kelly's? My treat."

"No, thanks." Elizabeth tries to get past, but Sarah blocks her again - eliciting a glare out of Elizabeth.

"You're right. That was so stupid of me." Sarah shakes her head. "You work there almost every day, why would you want to eat there, right? So, how about at the Port Charles Hotel? They have a great restaurant."

"I said, no, thanks." Elizabeth fakes going left and goes right when Sarah moves.

The guards were confused by the exchange, but followed after Elizabeth none the less. None of them were brave enough to lose sight of her, especially since Jason made it a point to threaten each and every one of their lives if they managed to slip up with her.

"I must say, I am impressed." a man from Jason's past walks out from the shadows. "Normally I am impossible to find."

"Not for me." Jason states firmly.

"True." he smirks, holding out his hand. "Its nice to see you again, old friend."

"I'm not your friend." Jason says plainly. "What does Steven Webber have to do you with your organization?"

"I don't feel particularly inclined to divulge that tidbit." the man turns, walking over to the crate, hopping up to sit down. "Of course, I can be persuaded."

"What do you want?"

"The girl, Elizabeth, is it true that she has no memory of her past?"

Jason's features turn to stone, controlling himself into not shooting the man.

"Relax, Morgan." the man says simply. "I only want to know if the protocol they have been working on succeeded."

"What protocol?"

"Uh-uh." he shakes his head. "You first."

"Its true."

"The old bloke actually did it." he comments with intrigue. "That shortens my timetable significantly."

"How and why?"

"Since you were forthcoming, I guess I will be, too." the man hops off the crate, walking over to Jason to hand him a file. "Steven Webber was the B.O.D's inside man. For eight years, Steven has been gathering intel and lab results from Jeff Webber, better known to his followers as the prophet."

"What are they? A cult?"

"Something like that, but more advanced than any so called cult we've ever encountered." he states plainly. "We were so close to destroying the entire organization when Steven got cold feet. Something about wanting to protect the baby sister before all hell broke loose. Unfortunately, he never made it to the meeting point like scheduled."

"Because he died."

"Steven Webber is far from dead." he corrects, shaking his head sadly. "We believe that the family has him...and if what you told me is true, I'm confident that they are trying the same protocol on him that they used on your little girlfriend."

"What protocol?" Jason's throat tightened, realizing just how sick and twisted the Webbers truly are.

"Everything you need to know is in that file." the man shrugged his shoulders. "Keep it, give it a gander, and - if you know what's good for Elizabeth - keep a close eye on her. Its only a matter of time before Jeff Webber collects his most prized possession."

"Thanks...for this."

"Anytime." he smirks. "And to answer your burning question, no...Audrey Hardy isn't part of the organization...neither are the Quatermaines."

Just like that, his long time acquaintance and occasional rival disappears into the night. Gripping the file in his hand, Jason makes his way back to his SUV. He had a sudden desperate need to see Elizabeth. If what he was saying is true, then Elizabeth was in more danger than he thought possible.

Putting his search for Robin on the back burner, along with his meeting with Sonny, he floors it to the penthouse. Once he parks the vehicle in the parking garage, Jason anxiously makes his way up to their penthouse, letting himself in, but not finding her there. Storing the file in his safe, Jason goes through house once more to make sure she wasn't there.

As he's about to call her, more than a little worried, Elizabeth walks into the door - dropping her things on the desk. She looked just as exhausted as he felt and, in that moment, all he felt was relieved.

"You okay?" Elizabeth questions, taking in his appearance. "Is it Robin? Have you found her?"

"No. Not yet." Jason shakes his head, pulling her into his arms. "I just needed to see you."

"Is everything okay?" Elizabeth asks, allowing him to hold her. Both, because he needs it and because she needed it, as well.

"Yeah." Jason assures, closing his eyes. "I just had to see you, that's all."

"Well, if you're sure, can you let me go?" Elizabeth questions, softly. "I have to start on dinner."

"We can order in." Jason pulls away slightly. "Just for tonight...I know you like to cook."

"Are you sure everything's okay?" Elizabeth eyes him intently. "You're usually eager to help me cook."

"I just want us to relax tonight." Jason explains. "Your trial starts in the morning."

"Right." Elizabeth was hoping to forget about it for the night. "You're right...I guess it won't hurt to skip cooking for one night."

"Okay." Jason's glad that she accepted what he told her. "I'll call for the food while you get washed up."

She walks towards the stairs before turning back to look at him. She still didn't believe that he was telling her the whole truth, but she didn't want to question him either.

"Everything's okay, Liz."

"Okay." she concedes. "Are you going with me tomorrow?"

"Of course." Jason walks over to her. "I told you that I'm going to be there every step of the way."

"I know...its just...with Robin missing and all..."

"I'm going to be there." Jason promises. "Go get washed up. I'll be here waiting for you when your done."

"Okay." Elizabeth accepts what he says. "I won't be long."

Turning away from him, she walks up the stairs to wash up for dinner, more than a little confused as to what had just happened.

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews.**

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**- ROCkER -**


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

Its been a couple days since the start of her trial. In spite of where her mind should be, Elizabeth couldn't help but watch him. Something was off with Jason, she could feel it, but she just couldn't figure out what it was. Although, she wished it weren't true, she can tell he's holding something back from her.

He may not be outright lying, but he sure straddles the border between truth and lies. Whatever was going on with him, she knows its not business, even though he claims it is. She could tell by the way he acts, the way his face goes soft while talking to her, trying to get her to leave it be.

When he thinks she's not looking or not there, Elizabeth finds him going over the same file repeatedly. It was like he was trying to memorize whatever the file contained and clearly - whatever it was - affected him deeply. But, when he notices her presence, he shuts the file immediately, shoving it between a bunch of different color files. Acting like she hadn't seen him obsessing over the thing moments before.

"Jason." she calls his name as she walks down the stairs, giving him time to put the thing away.

Even if she wishes he wouldn't hide it from her, she would still respect his wishes and make it easier for him to do what he thinks he has to do. She'll figure it out, eventually, but there was no reason to make things difficult before then.

"Hey." he stands up, the file under the stack, like she predicted.

"You sure you can't go out tonight?" Elizabeth questions, allowing him to help her into her jacket.

"I really wish I could." he says regretfully, turning her to face him. "Have fun tonight, okay?"

"I will." she promises, smiling slightly, wishing he'd just let her in. "We're just going to have drinks at Jake's."

"Take the..."

"Guards." she cuts him off, knowing what he was about to say. "Always do."

"Sorry." he sighs, running his hands up and down her arms softly. "I worry about you sometimes...I know I might be overreacting..."

"Its fine." she says without hesitation. "Jason, you're trying to protect me. How can I be upset with that?"

"I'll be here when you get home." Jason kisses her softly, wishing she would just stay in, but knowing that she had to go out. He couldn't keep her locked up in the penthouse, it wasn't right or fair.

"Sure." she replies, grabbing her purse and walking over to the door.

Just as she's about to close the door, she spots him pulling the file out from under the rest and sighs. She could see that he was stressing over the information in the file and she wished she could help him, but there wasn't much she could do if he didn't let her in.

Shaking her head, Elizabeth closes the door and allows the guards to take her to Jake's. Her friends, or whatever they could be considered, should be there already. She should have been there already, but she was just too worried about Jason.

"Hey." Emily greets her with a warm embrace. "I'm so glad you're here."

"Oh, yeah?" Elizabeth counters, accepting the hug from Nikolas. "Why is that?"

"Just because." Emily waves over the waiter for refills. "Drinking with just Nikolas isn't so much fun."

"Gee, thanks." Nikolas feigns offence, but knows that she's just teasing him. "This isn't exactly my choice in hangouts, okay?"

"Of course, your highness." Emily teases further, accepting the round of beers. "Why would Prince Nikolas drink amongst the little people?"

"Oookay..." Elizabeth takes the beer from her. "I think you've had enough for now."

"Too much?" Emily looks at her curiously.

"A little bit." Elizabeth says, setting the beer down, away from Emily. "So, did you buy a place yet?"

"Yeah." Emily admits, smiling over at Nikolas. "He helped me pick the perfect place."

"That's good." Elizabeth could sense there was more between the two than friendship and she actually likes that. "How did your mother react?"

"Harshly." Emily frowned slightly. "But I expected it...nothing I can do to change that."

"So, Elizabeth..." Nikolas moves to change the subject. "How's the trial going?"

"Exactly how you think it is." Elizabeth says plainly. "They're making me out to be an invalid."

_She storms into the penthouse, angry that she had to keep her mouth shut through the entire thing, only speaking when spoken to by the judge. She had literally wanted to strangle the opposing counsel. Elizabeth knows that they have to talk like that, make it seem more than it is, for the judge._

_"Relax, Elizabeth." Alexis's voice breaks through her anger. "We're winning so far. Just keep up with what I'm telling you and you'll win this."_

_"How can you expect me to sit there while they call me an invalid?" Elizabeth counters, looking at her lawyer angrily. "Not that I care about what they think, but I have a right to stand up for myself."_

_"You do, but just not right now." Alexis explains. "The longer you keep your cool, the better it is for us."_

_"How so?" Elizabeth counters, staring at her lawyer, but Jason's the one to answer - speaking for the first time since they got home._

_"If you stay in control of yourself, especially while they're saying all that, the judge will take it into consideration when making a decision." Jason explains. "It'll help us in the end, trust me."_

_"Fine." Elizabeth throws her things onto the desk. "But I swear, once this is over, I'm going to kick that stupid lawyer's ass!"_

_"I'll help." Jason smiles slightly, pulling her into his arms. "Just don't let it get to you...you know who you are and what you are...ignore the lawyer."_

_"I'll try." she sighs, resting her head against his chest. "I just wish this would end already."_

_"You and me both."_

As she remembers Jason reassuring her, she starts to think of how he's holding back from her and her grip starts to tighten on the beer she's holding. If only he could trust her the way he expects her to trust him. And she does. She trusts him more than anyone, only she feels like its slipping. She's starting to question his motives and that wasn't what she wanted. She wants to trust him completely. She needs to trust him completely. She needs someone she can trust completely and she wants it to be him, always.

"That sucks." Nikolas comments, neither friends noticing Elizabeth's tension.

"You're telling me." Elizabeth says simply, downing the rest of her beer and taking Emily's own, it was obvious she needed it more than her friend.

"Nikolas and I are thinking about riding horses around his island tomorrow afternoon." Emily admits, smiling fondly at the thought of horses. "Would you like to join us? We can have a picnic on the cliff."

"I can't." Elizabeth probably could make it, but she just didn't want to overdo the whole friendship thing. That, and she was still worried about Jason. "I have plans."

"Oh, okay." Emily replies, a little saddened. "Well, maybe next time?"

"Sure." Elizabeth concedes. "Maybe next time."

The rest of the night is spent thinking about Jason, but keeping up a front for the two of them, finding herself drinking more and more. Elizabeth started turning to something harder, Emily still not drinking, something Elizabeth guessed was for her benefit.

It seemed that, even though they were trying to be her friends, they were still walking on eggshells. By the time Elizabeth was good and numb, she shoved a beer in Emily's hand and told her to drink. By the time the night was over, Elizabeth was good and drunk, numbing any worry she had over Jason.

"Elizabeth?" Johnny voices, helping her out of her chair. "You okay to walk to the car?"

"Yeah." she says plainly, grabbing her jacket. "I'm fine."

"You sure?" Johnny asks again, a little nervous with releasing his hold on her.

"Stop treating me like a child." Elizabeth pushes him away, walking towards the door. "I can hold my own."

Johnny and the other guards follow after her, waiting for her to get in the car before they get in. Johnny knows that she doesn't like it when they treat her that way, but he was just worried. She hasn't drank herself into this numb state since the first time she did it.

A part of him wondered why she would do it now, amidst her trial, and why Jason had allowed her to go drinking outside of the penthouse. Driving them back to the towers, Johnny kept close, in case she fell. Of course, she didn't, proving to all of them that she could take care of herself.

"Sonny." Elizabeth says in greeting, causing the older man to smile slightly and greet her in return.

"She's drunk." Johnny tells Jason, earning a glare from Elizabeth. "Just thought you should know."

"Get out!" Elizabeth pushes him out the door, slamming it in his face.

"Jason...we'll, uh, talk about this later." Sonny says, making a respectful and hasty exit. "Goodnight, Elizabeth."

"Goodnight." Elizabeth says, keeping her focus on Jason.

"Elizabeth?" Jason's voice is filled with concern. "Are you...are you drunk?"

"I walked myself to the car and I walked myself up here." she says plainly. "I'm fine."

"That's not what I asked." he counters, walking over to her. "Are you drunk?"

"Yeah." she admits, glancing over at the table, finding the file under the other files. Returning her focus to Jason. "But I'm fine...I'm going to bed."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Jason questions, wondering what has her drinking like this again.

"No." she walks over to the stairs, leaving him standing there. "Jason?"

"Yeah?" he turns to look at her, finding her on the first landing.

"You said that I could count on you." Elizabeth says seriously. "You said that I could trust you and that I could count on you, right?"

"More than once." Jason walks over to her. "Why?"

"How can you expect me to do either when you can't do the same?" Elizabeth counters, staring at him intently. "I'm here for you...I want to be someone you trust. Someone you can count on."

"I do trust you." he says seriously, eyeing her confusedly.

"Right." she shakes her head. "I'm just gonna go to bed before you end up lying to me."

"Elizabeth." he stops her by taking hold of her hand. "I do trust you...I do count on you and I'd never lie to you."

"If that were true, you'd tell me what's in that damn file." Elizabeth states, removing his hold on her. "I'm going to bed in MY room tonight. Don't stay up too late, you're gonna need your rest since you're leaving town with Sonny tomorrow."

"How did you..."

"It was in Sonny's tone." she says plainly. "Goodnight."

Before he could think to say much of anything else, Elizabeth stomps her way to the room she had used before and goes to sleep. Jason stands at the foot of the stairs, glancing back at the file before looking up the stairs. He didn't mean to hide it from her, he just didn't want her to know that someone violated her the way her parents had. With a sigh, Jason walks back over to the couch to sit down before pulling out the file once again. Staring at the information within, Jason makes a silent promise to tell her tomorrow. Tonight, he'll go over it once more, making sure he didn't miss anything.

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews.**

**Let me know what you think!**

**Remember to SMILE!**

**- ROCkER -**


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter Twenty-Seven**

Early in the morning, Elizabeth wakes up and gets ready to face the day. She felt bad for what she said to Jason, but she wouldn't take it back. Walking downstairs, she finds him passed out on the couch, the stupid file open on his lap.

She's more than tempted to take the file and rifle through it, but she respected him more than that. So, instead of doing the wrong thing, she grabs a blanket and drapes it over him. He'll tell her when he's ready - at least she hopes so. Placing a soft kiss upon his forehead, Elizabeth grabs her things - making sure to grab her cellphone - and walks out of the penthouse, needing to get to her shift at Kelly's.

The trial for today was put off for tomorrow, something about new evidence needing to be reviewed and blah blah. She'll leave the legal mumbo jumbo to Alexis. She had enough to worry about and enough things clouding her mind that it would be damn near impossible to try and understand any of that.

"Ready?" Johnny questions, not even daring to ask about waking Jason up.

"Yeah." Elizabeth says simply, jabbing the down button. "I'm ready."

Along with her guards, she heads to work, wondering if things would only get worse between her and Jason or if there will be a turning point. Putting it out of her mind for now, Elizabeth gets to the diner and clocks in for her shift. Tying the apron around her, she takes one of the order booklets and starts taking orders.

"Good morning, Elizabeth." Bobbie greets her, walking into the diner a couple hours later.

"Morning, Bobbie." Elizabeth replies, walking over with Bobbie's usual coffee. "How's Lucas doing?"

"He's doing great." Bobbie smiles at her question. "How's the trial?"

"Besides wanting to strangle the opposing counsel, its okay." Elizabeth admits, walking back to stand behind the counter. "Alexis wants me to accept it and not let it get to me."

"She's right." Bobbie agrees. "It'll be over before you know it, trust me."

Trust me. Elizabeth was really getting tired of hearing that phrase. Either she trusts a person or she doesn't. Why do people say to trust them? Doesn't it go without saying?

"Right." Elizabeth smiles slightly. "I should get back to work."

"If anyone needs me, I'll be in the office, okay?"

"Okay." Elizabeth picks up the pot of coffee and goes around to do refills.

Waking up, Jason finds a blanket on him that wasn't there when he went to sleep, realizing that she must have covered him up this morning. As he moves to stand up, he remembers the file on his lap and it gives him pause. Its on the page he left it on, but he still wonders if she looked through it.

He had to admit that he was angry with himself for not waking up in time to take her to work. He enjoyed that part of his morning most of all. Getting to spend time with her, no talking necessary, just existing as they got ready and headed to the diner for her shift.

Deciding he'll stop in to check on her before heading to the warehouse, Jason tosses the file onto the desk before bounding up the stairs to get ready. He had a few things, business wise, to handle before he would dive back into the mess known as the Webbers.

"Elizabeth?" Bobbie must have said for the sixth time, but only now getting through to her. Her focus being on Jason - who is currently outside talking to Johnny.

"Yeah?" she turns to Bobbie, finally pulling her attention from him.

"Annette just called in sick." Bobbie says sadly. "I'm not sure if you're free or not, but I need someone to cover her shift and you've been asking for more hours."

"Right." Elizabeth chews the side of her lip for a second. "Sure. I can cover her shift."

"Great." Bobbie pulls out the keys for the diner. "I want you to keep these with you, in case you get the dinner shift again."

"Okay." she replies, taking the keys from Bobbie and slipping it into the back pocket. "Anything else?"

"No, that's it." Bobbie smiles, knowing that she was trying her best to prove to everyone that she was competent enough to live her own life. "You can work tomorrow, if you want, but you don't have to."

"I'll work my shift tomorrow." Elizabeth assures. "I need the hours."

"Right, of course." Bobbie knew her answer before she suggested it anyway. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."

"See you tomorrow."

Jason and Bobbie exchange greetings while she watches from the counter. Though her attention is on them, she still has the mind to refill cups for the customers sitting at the counter. She could tell that he felt bad for not being awake to drop her to work, its in the way he glances over at her, but she doesn't linger on it for too long. A part of her wanting him to feel bad, but not entirely understanding why.

"Hey." he greets her, carefully sitting down on one of the stools at the counter.

"Hey." she replies plainly, pouring him a cup of coffee. "When are you leaving?"

"Its not a sure thing, yet." Jason can see she was still mad at him, but not as much as last night. "How's your head feeling?"

"Johnny gave me something before we got here." Elizabeth says simply, setting down the coffee pot. "I didn't look in the file."

"What?"

"That file you don't want me knowing about...I didn't look through it." Elizabeth says simply, walking out from behind the counter to stand in front of him. "I was tempted, believe me, but I'd never betray your trust like that."

"I'm sorry." he says, pulling her into his arms, feeling like a complete jackass for keeping it from her. "I never meant to keep it from you...I just want to protect you from it."

"How bad is it?"

"Its pretty bad." Jason sighs, reaching up to caress her cheek. "I just thought it would be better if you didn't know...that way it wouldn't affect you."

"Always my protector, huh?"

"If I can help it...yeah."

"That's all you had to say." Elizabeth kisses him softly. "But you know that I can handle whatever it is...as long as you're there with me anyway."

"Bobbie told me you took on a back to back shift." Jason moves his hands to interlock at the small of her back. "Try not to overwork yourself, okay?"

"I'll be fine." she assures. "Anyway, about the file..."

"If you really want to know everything, I'll bring it back during your lunch hour and I'll stay with you while you look it over, okay?"

"Really?"

"Yeah." he says without hesitation. "Its not my place to decide what you can and cannot handle. I'm sorry for acting like it was...I never want you to feel like I don't trust you or that you can't count on me."

"Just be honest with me." Elizabeth says simply. "That's all I ask."

"Okay, but you have to promise me you won't drink yourself numb again." Jason says seriously. "If you have a problem with me, just tell me and we'll find a way to fix it, okay?"

"I promise." she says with conviction, closing her eyes as he claims her lips swiftly. "I should probably get back to work."

"Yeah...me, too."

"See you for my lunch hour, then?"

"Yeah." he kisses her once more before allowing her to walk back behind the counter. "Liz?"

"Yeah?"

"I am sorry." he says sincerely. "I hope you know that I do trust you more than anyone."

"I know." she smiles softly, realizing how hard he took her drinking herself numb. "I trust you more than anyone, too."

"See you soon."

With that, Jason walks out of the diner to head to work. She wasn't sure what would happen when they saw each other again, but she was glad that they were able to settle things. A part of her wanted to slap her upside the head. It should have been obvious that he was trying to protect her from something.

Shaking her head, she gets back to work. It looks like she's going to have to learn how to communicate better than she's used to. She'll try because she can't afford to lose Jason in her life. She can't and won't let them end on a misunderstanding or a miscommunication. Not if she can help it.

As she's getting back to work, the voice echoes in the back of her mind. Danger. Watch your back. If only it would stop being so damn elusive and tell her what to watch out for. Though, she won't ignore it, she wishes it would shut up.

"Excuse me." a voice speaks from in front of her, vaguely familiar but she couldn't place it.

"Yeah?" she looks at the man standing in front of her, the voice in the back of her mind grows louder. "Can I help you with something?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews.**

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**- ROCkER -**


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter Twenty-Eight**

Elizabeth is, habitually, a cautious person. Ever since she woke up from her coma, she has been cautious about almost everyone she allows into her life. Looking at the person across from her, with the voice practically screaming in the back of her mind, Elizabeth was ready to book it out of the diner.

Her fight instincts kicked in, though, causing her to stand her ground instead of running off. The diner was relatively void of customers, the morning rush coming down to the regular few customers that come in to do their school work or work with numbers. Kelly's, for a diner, is rather quiet and gave them a place to focus. It wasn't loud, but it wasn't quiet like a library either.

She focuses on the man's features, etching them perfectly in her memory, needing something to look back on if needed. The man seemed to be impressed with her, not like she understood why, but its the only emotion that she can find within the dark eyes that stare back at her.

"For an all seeing prophet, he sure underestimated you." the man comments, summing her up the way she was doing to him. "Even with no memory, you've managed to pick yourself up and move forward."

"What did you expect to find?" the words leaving her lips with no real clue why she was even speaking. "A broken child lost in the sea of fear?"

What the hell was she saying? The words are coming out of her mouth, but she didn't even understand any of it.

"I see your instincts are still the same." he smirks, laying down an envelope in front of her. "I've missed us, you know? We've been apart for too long."

"If you say so." she mutters, pulling the envelope toward her, merely working off of instinct. "You know where the door is. Use it."

"We will see each other again, sweet Lizzie." he says softly, almost fondly - if she wasn't mistaken. "Trust me on that."

"I'd rather trust myself." she states plainly. "No way to get stabbed in the back that way."

"Soon, Lizzie." he assures, securing his jacket around him. "We'll be seeing each other soon."

"How soon?" she dares to ask, watching as he merely smirks and walks out of the diner.

Tapping her fingers against the thick envelope, Elizabeth ponders opening it, the voice quiets back down, but the clarity is pristine. Unlike other times, its sticking to one word and one word only. Danger. Unsure of what to do, Elizabeth pulls out her cellphone. Looks like the thing had some use after all.

"Hey." he answers after only one ring, seeing it was her.

"Are you at the warehouse?" she questions, jotting down an order before pouring the customer a glass of ice cold soda.

"Just getting in, why?"

"I'm going to send one of the guards to you." she says seriously. "Not Johnny, but one of the others."

"Did something happen?" his voice fills with concern now, worried about her answer. "You know what, I'm on my way back. I'll be there in a few minutes."

"No...until you convince Sonny to take it back and both of you find Robin, you need to keep up your image." she says seriously. "Just like me. So, I'm going to send one of the guards and we'll talk about it when you get here later."

"Liz..."

"Someone stopped by, but I'm fine, Jason, I promise." Elizabeth assures him. "Just trust me and stay where you are, okay?"

"Okay." he says, going against his core instincts. "I'll see you for your lunch hour."

"I know." she says softly, wishing he could just come to her, but knowing he was needed at the warehouse. "The guard is going to give you a thick envelope...I don't know what's in it so be careful."

"You know you're making it really hard for me to stay here, right?"

"I know, believe me, we just have to do what we have to do." she sighs, handing off the pitcher of soda to the other waitress before walking towards the door. "I'll see you soon, okay?"

"Okay."

"And Jason...be careful." she says seriously. "I mean it...I don't know what's in the envelope and I don't want you getting hurt."

"I'll be careful, I promise."

"Okay."

Ending the call, Elizabeth fills Johnny in and has him send one of the other guards to deliver the envelope to Jason. She could see the look on his face and recognizes it as one of concern. She wants to put his mind at ease, but she couldn't lie to him. She doesn't know what's going on, but - according to the voice - it obviously comes with a ton of danger.

Johnny's gut was telling him the very same thing. Every part of him knowing that whatever's coming will be dangerous and chaotic. First they are straddled with the mystery of Steven Lars Webber, then the psychotic senior Webbers, followed by Robin going missing and now this mystery envelope. The forecast is in and so far it predicts a very lethal reality in all of their futures.

Though it only took a few minutes for the guard to get to him, it felt like eternity. Taking the envelope from him, Jason thanked him before sending him on his way. She wasn't kidding when she said that the envelope was thick. As he sits behind his desk, Jason couldn't ignore how it felt, knowing that she trusted him to deal with whatever this was.

It was clear in her voice that she was shaken from whoever gave her the envelope and even more shaken up by the envelope itself. Ordering the guard outside his door to keep everyone away until he says otherwise, Jason opens it and is more than surprised at what he finds inside.

There are pictures, lots of them, of Robin locked in a padded cell, strapped to a gurney. Jason's heart wrenched as he looked through them, from the photos it looked like they were giving Robin her HIV meds - the labels telling him that much, but he couldn't know for sure.

With it, a letter detailing exactly what they want from Elizabeth. A few paragraphs are dedicated to detailing the treatment of her brother, Steven, along with the future treatment of Robin if she doesn't comply. Jason's blood starts to boil as he reads about what they plan to do to Elizabeth. Her father is a sick bastard if he is willing to do any of this to his children.

Sliding it back into the envelope, Jason stores it in his desk safe before returning his focus to his work. He had to do a run through with the workers before having a meeting with Sonny. Now that he knows who has Robin, he needs to tread carefully.

There was no way he was going to allow Elizabeth to go to her family. No way in hell. And, if he tells Sonny, he knows that Sonny will insist on trading Elizabeth for Robin...seeing as - in his eyes - Robin will be the innocent one. Jason has to find a way to get the jump on the Webbers or risk losing Elizabeth and Robin both.

"Did you deliver it?" the prophet asks of his disciple.

"Yes. She sent it straight to Morgan like you predicted." the man replies, shutting the door behind him as he walks into his motel room. "Are you sure this is the best to do this?"

"They are playing right into my hands, trust me." the prophet replies. "Soon...soon I will have my beloved treasure back with us."

"What would like me to do now?"

"Keep an eye on my angel and ensure that we stay on schedule." the prophet says simply. "I'll call you with further instructions as the plan moves along."

"As you wish." he says respectfully, waiting for the dial tone before tossing his cellphone to the side. "Some prophet he is...still as blind as ever."

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews.**

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	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter Twenty-Nine**

In the last three days, Jason has spoken to Mac and his "friend" about how they should handle the situation. He, of course, didn't go to them. They approached him, having received similar envelopes, sending them to his door.

Elizabeth has agreed to let him handle it, only after he told her everything and left nothing out, but he could see that she was thinking about accepting the deal. He didn't have to worry about bringing Sonny into it because Elizabeth already sees Robin as the innocent one, forcing him to come up with a plan to prevent her giving in.

Introductions weren't necessary because Mac already knows Jason's "friend" and apparently Jason Quartermaine knew him, too. Jagger Cates. The guy looked older than he actually was, only now revealing why he kept referring to Jason as a friend. He had been friends with the Quartermaine version.

"Anna and Robert are out in the field." Jagger explains. "Even if we were able to get word out, it would take them too long to actually get to the mainland."

"But the Webbers aren't on the mainland." Jason points out. "Can't they make it to where Robin is in time?"

"No." Jagger relents, being forced to admit the truth. "Even if we did get word to them...their hands would be tied."

"Their division has certain rules." Mac agrees. "We have to do this ourselves."

"Besides, we wouldn't want to spook them by sending Anna Devane after them." Jagger points out. "Robert...maybe...but Anna is something else."

"Whatever." Jason shakes his head, not really caring anymore. "What are we going to do?"

"What do you suggest we do?" Jagger counters, folding his arms across his chest. "You're known to be the best at this."

"If we do this my way, you wouldn't be able to stomach it." Jason states, wanting to kill each and every last one of them.

"Okay." Jagger smirks, turning to Mac. "You got any ideas?"

Elizabeth paces back and forth, staring down at the box and envelope. Hours she has spent, just pacing back and forth in front of the thing, but all they've done is mock her. They are reminders that she doesn't have her memory. That she was of no use without the knowledge that has been locked away in the back of her mind.

They needed a jump on her parents, that much she was sure of, but how do they do that? How can they outsmart them when the key to it all is locked away in her brain? A thought came to her, a thought that she knew just might work, but a thought that Jason would hate.

Staring at her cellphone, she continues to pace, it was the logical choice. It felt like the right choice. Right to her, anyway, but she doubts he'll share in her understanding. So far they have been playing right into her family's hands, but there is a wild card and the wild card always switches up the game for those who think they are ahead.

The wild card, in her mind, is her grandmother. Clearly they didn't think much of the old lady, detailing just that in the letter. Elizabeth, however, had a gut feeling that the old lady could seriously change up the game and put it in their favor.

Knowing that the only way Jason will agree to it or even consider it is if she had facts. So, sucking up her pride and her ego, Elizabeth grabs her cellphone, storing the items in the desk, before walking out of the penthouse to face her guards.

"I need you to take me to the Quatermaine mansion." Elizabeth informs Johnny, eliciting a weary sigh from him.

"Sure." Johnny concedes, not wanting to get into it with her at all.

Normally she'd find his behavior confusing, but after the last few days, she completely understands it. She knows he wants to abide by Jason's rules, having argued with her about the places she tells him to take her, but eventually he folds and takes her in the end.

She didn't want to explain to him why she suddenly wants to go to the one place she normally wouldn't be caught dead in, anyway. Making their way to the car, she leaves a message for Jason, telling him where she'll be. The drive seemed to take forever, something she credits to Johnny taking his sweet ass time with his driving, but they get there none the less.

"Elizabeth?" Monica Quartermaine stares at her in confusion at the door. "This is highly inappropriate with the hearing going on and..."

"I just need to know about that treatment you keep pushing." Elizabeth cuts her off. "I need to know why you think it will bring back my memory."

"Um...okay." Monica steps aside. "Your grandmother is in the living room."

"I kind of figured as much." Elizabeth says plainly, walking past the older woman. "They come with me."

Though she didn't appreciate it, Monica waits for the guards to file in after Elizabeth, two remaining outside by the front door. Elizabeth wasn't here to play nice or to tell them that she understands their crazy logic. She's here for information and that's it.

"Elizabeth." Audrey rises to her feet and - for the first time since she woke up - Elizabeth feels sorry for the woman. She looked worn out, fatigue filling the woman's features. "This is a surprise."

"You can tell me to leave if you want." Elizabeth points out, not wanting to fight with the other woman. "But I need to know why you think your method could bring back my memory."

"Please, have a seat." Audrey gestures to the chair across from her. Wanting to relish in whatever time that Elizabeth is willing to give her. Having had a lot of time to think since Elizabeth started living with Jason.

Swallowing her instincts to lash out, Elizabeth sits down and accepts the cup of tea that Audrey offers.

"So, you want to know about the procedure?" Audrey questions, stirring her tea. "Why?"

"I can't tell you why." Elizabeth says seriously. "If that prevents you from telling me then..."

"No." Audrey shakes her head, cutting her off with a wave of her hand. "I was just curious as to why you want to hear me out now...but I will tell you, if you want to know."

"I don't want to know." Elizabeth counters. "I need to know."

While Audrey and Monica both tell her about the procedure and why they know she'll be the perfect candidate for it, Jason is finishing up his meeting with Mac and Jagger. They've finally figured out their plan, the rough version of it at least, but it still needed some refining here and there.

They had time, all three men deduced, knowing that they weren't expecting a decision for at least another couple days. Although Mac wanted to just go and get Robin, he knew that they had to plan it right. There was no room for error. None whatsoever.

"Jason, I know you're busy planning your rescue mission, but I want you to know that I'm heading over to the Quartermaine mansion." Elizabeth's voice plays from his voicemail. "I need answers that only Monica and my grandmother can give me. Come find me when you're done...bye."

Racing over there, knowing she'd still be there, Jason finds two guards standing outside. Foregoing knocking, Jason walks right into the house, searching for Elizabeth. Making his way into the living room, Jason finds her shaking Monica's hand before doing the same with Audrey.

"Thank you for telling me." Elizabeth says sincerely. "I truly appreciate it."

"So...will you do the procedure?" Audrey dares to ask.

She feels his presence, turning to hold her hand out to him, smiling slightly when he bounds over to her side.

"Jason and I will talk about it and I'll call you." Elizabeth concedes, relaxing for the first time since she set foot in that house, only because Jason was there now. "We're going home now."

Without another word, Jason and Elizabeth turn around, leaving the house with the guards that brought her there. She could see that he wasn't happy with what she had said, but he needed to listen to her and accept that it was her choice, too. They'll talk about it, she's sure of that, but -for now- she'll just nestle into his embrace as they head home.

She could tell he had a plan and he has now realized that she has one, too. Hopefully, both of them thought at the same time, one of theirs will work.

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews.**

**Let me know what you think!**

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**- ROCkER -**


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter Thirty**

He's angry. She can see it. Even when she can't see him, she can feel his anger. Elizabeth couldn't be upset by his reaction, at least her heard her out before he went head long into the anger. She doesn't even mind that he feels this way, its understandable, but it wouldn't stop her from doing what had to be done.

Using the clearing as a distraction, Jason insisted that they get started on cleaning up the place because the material for the house would be arriving in a couple weeks. She knew it was his way of getting off the subject and to help them clear their minds, but Elizabeth wouldn't let him work her into forgetting her plan.

Between the two of them, her plan made a hell of a lot more sense than his and she knows that he knows it. Her memory is the key to it all, that much she's sure on, and the only way to get access to it is to do the procedure. Regaining her memory is a lot smarter than using brute force to retrieve Robin.

Sure, he had the help of the B.O.D, but what good are they? Apparently all they've managed to do so far is get her brother "killed" and kidnapped while she is left without her memory and no way of saving the only sane person left in her family. And she uses the phrase family lightly.

"Are you ready to talk yet?" Elizabeth questions, wiping the sweat from her forehead.

"No." he states, yanking at the tall grass and tossing it to the side. At least his anger was being put to use.

"We're going to have to talk about it sometime." she points out, returning to her task at hand. Actually enjoying the labor work. "You know its a smart move."

"Maybe." he concedes, sighing roughly. "Doesn't mean we know it'll work."

"Only one way to find out."

"And that one way could get you killed." he snaps, turning to face her. "Are you ready for that possibility? Because I'm not!"

"There is an innocent life at stake here." Elizabeth points out. "And countless more if they aren't stopped. You saw the file, Jason...they've killed dozens of people...most of them children."

"I won't add your life to that list." Jason turns abruptly, yanking at more weeds and tall grass. "I don't care who's life is on the line...I won't sacrifice yours to save theirs."

"Robin's life." Elizabeth walks over to him, stopping him from working further. "Your ex-girlfriend...Mac's daughter...Sonny's friend. Her life is on the line here...are you willing to let her die because you're afraid of losing me?"

"Better her than you."

"You don't mean that." she says softly, framing his face in her hands.

"Don't tell me what I mean."

"You don't mean that and I know it." she states firmly. "You have to see that this is the best option we have...maybe our only smart option."

"How is risking your life a smart option?" he counters, removing her hands from his face. "How is taking the risk of you dying a smart option?"

"Easy." she says plainly. "Doing it my way, I'm the only one risking my life. Doing it your way, we're risking my life along with a hell of a lot more lives...including yours."

The guards are standing around, keeping their eyes out for any threats, while listening in on the conversation at hand. Clearly this was Jason and Elizabeth's version of a couple's argument, none of them stupid enough to let them in on them listening, but all wanting to know the decision that will be made.

Johnny found that admired Elizabeth for what she wanted to do. In a way, he understands her need to protect as many people as possible while risking only herself, but he didn't want her hurt any more than Jason did. So, for obvious reasons, he's torn between both choices, hoping that they choose the right one.

"The only reason I don't have my memory is because they drugged me and took it away." Elizabeth says seriously. "Monica and Audrey are confident that the procedure will work and my gut instinct says they're right."

"I'm just supposed to agree to let you risk your life on what Monica and Audrey say?"

"No." Elizabeth takes his hands in hers. "You agree to this because my instincts haven't been wrong yet and, right now, its telling me that this will work."

"At what cost?" Jason counters. "You can't answer that can you."

"This isn't only about me risking my life." Elizabeth lets go his hands, seeing something in his eyes that made her red with anger. "You're afraid that if it does work, it'll change me back to the girl I used to be. The girl that didn't warrant a second of your time. You're afraid that I won't be like you anymore."

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to!" she snaps, glaring at him now. "Its in your eyes...in your voice. You're afraid that we won't be together if I get my memory back...because then Robin would be right and you can't handle it."

"Elizabeth, wait."

"I'm doing the procedure." Elizabeth states, walking away from him. "You can either be there or not...that's your choice."

He's sprints after, making her face him. "That wasn't what I meant at all." he says seriously. "Yes, I'm afraid of you doing the procedure, but not because of that."

"I can see it in your eyes." she says sternly. "Don't lie to me."

"I'm nervous about it, maybe a little, but that doesn't change anything." he concedes. "I never wanted to say this, but I had a crush on the other you, too."

"What?" she looks at him confusedly. "You had a crush on her?"

"Yeah." he admits. "Like you, she was something else...she opened my eyes to things I never thought to see...maybe I could have grown to feel something more for her."

"Why didn't you tell me that?"

"Because it didn't matter anymore." he says seriously. "You walked into my life and I fell harder than I ever thought I could. You are the only one that matters right now. I don't want you to do the procedure because I don't want to lose you. Do you understand me? **You are my life**. I can't lose you...even if that means I have to lose Robin."

Just then, Elizabeth faints in his embrace and Jason feels like the ground fell out from beneath him. He calls her name, but she doesn't respond, making him more anxious than he's ever felt. Shouting at the guards, he carries Elizabeth to one of the SUVs and shouts at the driver to drive with his life.

"Its gonna be okay." he whispers to her, cradling her in his arms. "I'm not losing you. I am not losing you right now."

Back in the waiting room, once again, Jason paces the floor. This time he's kept company by Audrey and Monica, both having heard about Elizabeth when he called ahead. Neither are saying much, something he's thankful for, but the look on their faces said enough.

Hours feel like days before he's allowed to go in and see her. Monica and Audrey receiving whatever information the doctor had for them, his main concern is getting to Elizabeth and seeing it for himself that she's okay.

"Hey." he says softly, walking over to sit beside her. "How're you feeling?"

"I'm fine." she replies, staring into his eyes. "I'm sorry I scared you."

"Its not your fault." he counters, placing a soft kiss upon her forehead. "I'm glad you're okay."

"If you say so." she replies. "I can't do the procedure."

"What changed your mind?"

"This." she hands him the piece of paper. "Apparently, I'm pregnant."

"You're..." he reads the paper and there it was. She's pregnant. "You're pregnant."

"I'm sorry." she feels the need to say it. "I know you didn't expect this and we never talked about babies or...whatever comes with it...I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry." he says softly. "Its unexpected, yeah, but its amazing."

"Yeah?" she looks at him curiously.

"Yeah." he says without hesitation. "Are you kidding? This is the best news I've gotten in a while."

"But now I can't do the procedure." she points out. "Robin is still in danger...my brother...countless others...how are we going to save them now?"

"Forget about that for now." he moves to sit in front of her, framing her face in his hands. "Just for right now, focus on us...focus on the fact that you're pregnant. Can you tell me how you feel about it?"

"Scared." she admits, smiling slightly. "Nervous...a little freaked out...and..."

"And?"

"And excited." she takes a deep breath. "I mean...there's a baby growing inside of me...its surreal."

"Yeah...it is."

"Can I tell you something that will probably be the craziest thing I've ever said?" she asks. "You might laugh."

"Try me."

"I love it already." she admits, sliding her hands over her stomach. "Isn't that crazy? Its barely even formed...I just found out it exits...and I'm in love with it already."

"That's not crazy." he moves closer, claiming her lips in a soft, loving embrace. "Its love...and love cannot be explained...its simply felt."

"Do you love it, too?"

"Of course." he says without hesitation. "I love our baby as much as I love you!"

"You love me?"

"Haven't you been paying attention?" he asks teasingly. "After everything we've been through, how can you not know that I love you?"

"Say it again." she asks him, holding his hands in hers.

"I love you!"

"I love you." she repeats, wrapping her head around his words, laying her head against his. "I love you, too, Jason."

"We'll figure out how to save everyone." he whispers, closing his eyes as he absorbs the fact that they were going to be parents. "But this moment...right now...this is ours. Okay?"

"Okay." she replies, closing her eyes too. "This moment's ours."

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews!**

**Hope you liked the twist. More to come...can't wait to hear from you.**

**- ROCkER**


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter Thirty-One**

Sitting in her hospital bed, Elizabeth tries to wrap her head around the fact that she's pregnant. It was strange that its the only thing in her life that she actually understands, that she can actually feel attached to and truly grasp the importance of.

Sliding her hands over her flat stomach, Elizabeth wonders what kind of mother she'll make, if she'll make a good one or be the worst possible mother imaginable. Thinking of her mother and what she has done, Elizabeth banishes that thought from her mind. There was no way she could be worse than her own mother.

Jason's at a meeting with Mac and Jagger Cates, having promised her that he wouldn't make a final decision without consulting her. Mostly because she wouldn't let him leave otherwise. She knows that he can handle himself, but it didn't stop her from worrying about him. Her family is a crazy kind of psycho bunch and she didn't trust his safety with everything considered.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Come in." she calls out, angling the bed to where she's sitting up.

"You sure about that?" Audrey steps into the room. "Because I'll leave if you'd like."

"Its okay." Elizabeth smiles slightly. "I'm actually glad you're here."

"That's surprising." Audrey walks further into the room, closing the door behind her. "Do you mind if I sit?"

"Go ahead." Elizabeth tilts her head towards the chair. "I'd like to talk to you about something important."

"Before we do that, I'd like to say what I came in here to say, if that's okay with you."

"Sure."

"I wanted to apologize." Audrey explains. "After talking to your doctor, I was shocked to find out that you were here before due to stress."

"It wasn't anything serious."

"You fainted." Audrey counters. "That's pretty serious."

"I'm fine." she says simply. "Its not a big deal as long as I'm fine."

"Still..." Audrey shakes her head. "Can I finish?"

"Sure."

"I wanted to apologize because instead of helping you, I ended up hurting you instead." Audrey clasps her hands together, setting them atop of the bed. "You have to understand that I almost had a heart attack when I found out about you and your brother getting into that accident...my heart nearly stopped. I was so afraid that I had lost you both."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"Its not your fault." Audrey waves away her apology. "When I found out that I had lost Steven, my heart broke, but I was thankful that I didn't lose you atop of it. I guess, in my need to keep you safe, I ignored what you were going through and I'll never forgive myself for hurting you the way I did. The last thing you needed was stress and I just piled it on regardless."

"I don't blame you for what you did." Elizabeth assures her, placing a hand over Audrey's clasped hands. "You were trying to protect someone you loved...there's no fault in that."

"I'm glad you can see it that way." Audrey smiles slightly, taking Elizabeth's hand in both of hers. "Regardless of your understanding, I'm sorry for my part in you being hurt."

"Can we talk about what I need to talk about now?" Elizabeth questions, not wanting Audrey to apologize anymore.

"Of course." Audrey says without hesitation. "What would you like to talk about?"

"I told the doctor not to tell anyone because I only want certain people to know." Elizabeth explains. "I'm not really sure if I should talk to you about this, but I need to talk to someone...so, I need you to give me your word you won't tell anyone...not even Monica or any of the Quartermaines...no one."

"I won't breathe a word of it." Audrey says with conviction. "I promise."

"I'm pregnant." Elizabeth says carefully. "My emotions about it are all over the place and I wanted to ask you how you felt when you first got pregnant...is it normal to be afraid?"

"Oh, its completely normal." Audrey shakes away the shock, love filling her heart that Elizabeth decided to come to her with this. "But as the pregnancy goes on, the other emotions will take over and the fear settles into the background. Trust me, the fear will never go away, not for as long as you live."

"That's reassuring..." Elizabeth says sarcastically.

"Its all apart of life." Audrey says softly. "When you love someone, especially a child, you'll worry about them and you'll be afraid for them, but you'll learn to handle that fear and make the best choices possibly for that little baby and for yourself."

"What if I make the wrong choice?"

"You'll learn." Audrey assures. "Every parent feels what you feel with their first child, but you'll learn and you'll grow into the parent you want to be."

"I'm not sure I have the right to ask this, but..." Elizabeth takes a deep breath. "...if I had questions about being pregnant or after I give birth...can I bring them to you?"

"I'd love that." Audrey admits, tears welling up in her eyes. "I want you to know that I dropped the petition. I hope that we can find a way to be in each other's lives...I'd be honored to be a part of your child's life, as well."

"I'd like that." Elizabeth admits, smiling slightly. "But I have a few conditions."

"Okay..."

"One...Jason's a big part of my life...in some ways he is my life." Elizabeth explains. "So, if you want to be a part of my life, you have to accept him in it...can you handle that?"

"Does he make you happy?"

"That and much more."

"Then I can accept that." Audrey concedes, shaking her head. "What else?"

"You can't tell me how to live my life." she says seriously. "If you don't like something, you can tell me, but the final decision is on me...I won't live by anyone else's rules...I can't."

"That it?"

"That's it."

"Then you've got yourself a deal." Audrey says without hesitation. "I'm not saying it'll be easy, but I'll do my best to abide by those conditions. Really, I just want to have you back in my life. More than anything, I don't want to lose you."

"Even if I'm so different from the girl you love?"

"I love you!" Audrey say seriously. "There's no condition to my love...you'll understand that when you have your baby."

Staying for a while longer, Audrey promises to keep the pregnancy to herself once more before leaving the room. Elizabeth was a little nervous about letting Audrey into her life, but she could tell that the older woman really cared for her and wanted to be a part of her life. If nothing else, Elizabeth just wants to keep the peace.

"Hey...up for some company?" Johnny sticks his head in.

"Sure." Elizabeth shrugs. "Why not?"

"Jason asked me to bring you this." Johnny holds out a bag to her before settling into the chair.

"Food." Elizabeth tears open the bag, truly starving, not even daring to eat a single scoop of hospital food. "Thank you."

Relishing in the food, practically swallowing most of it without chewing, Elizabeth couldn't believe how hungry she was. It wasn't until after she was done eating that she felt a tickling feeling in her stomach. She wasn't sure how he knew, but Johnny quickly grabbed the waste bucket and held it out to her.

Just like that, she emptied her stomach's contents into the bucket. Not wanting to puke by hearing her, Johnny steps out into the hall and calls Jason. This was his job, not Johnny's and he knew that his friend wouldn't mind sitting by while she did that.

"Hey...you okay?" Jason questions a while later, walking into the room.

"I feel like crap." she says plainly, her head still hovering over the bucket. "I feel like I'm dying."

"Its just morning sickness setting in." Jason assures, holding up a bag. "I brought you something that will help with that."

"My hero." Elizabeth smiles slightly, watching as he walks over to sit down beside her on the bed. "Tell me this gets better...tell me I'm not going to throw up throughout this pregnancy."

"It'll get easier." Jason says, taking the bucket and setting it down before making her lean against him. "Drink this...it'll help."

Taking the drink from Jason's hand, Elizabeth downs it, not caring what it is as long as he says it'll help. It takes a short while, but sure enough her stomach starts to settle. Laying her head against his shoulder, Elizabeth closes her eyes, truly saddened that she had to throw up such a delicious meal.

"You're lucky you don't have to feel like this." Elizabeth mutters, nestling in beside him.

"I'd go through it for you if I could." Jason whispers, placing a soft kiss upon her forehead.

"Too bad you can't." she laughs softly, tilting her head to look at him. "Just promise me you'll be there for all the weird parts of this pregnancy and I'll be fine."

"I promise you, I'll be here for all the weird parts." he chuckles, claiming her lips without a care to the fact that she just threw up. "I love you!"

"I love you!" she replies, resting her head against his chest. "And I can't wait for this stupid morning sickness to go away."

"It just started." he points out, laughing when she slaps his chest.

"Don't remind me." she chuckles, resting her hand against his chest, gripping his shirt in the palm of her hand. "Did you come up with a plan?"

"Not yet."

"You'll tell me if you do?"

"I promised, didn't I?" he counters, running his hand up and down her back soothingly. "Just rest...we'll talk about the rest of it later. I'll still be here when you wake up."

"Okay." she says, yawning before closing her eyes and nestling in closer to him. "That's sounds perfect."

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews!**

**Hope you liked the twist. More to come...can't wait to hear from you.**

**- ROCkER**


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter Thirty-Two**

The deadline fast approaching, Elizabeth paces the living room trying to figure out what her dream meant. Every night since she found out she was pregnant, for four nights, Elizabeth has had the same dream, over and over again. Not what you're looking at, but what you see. It meant something, she knows it does, but she just couldn't - for the life of her - figure it out.

Glancing up at the stairs, Elizabeth smiles slightly at the thought of Jason fast asleep in their bed. He's been working himself thin with the entire situation, it didn't help that the stupid brunette - more commonly known as Brenda - is on Sonny's case...therefore he's on Jason's case. If she wasn't pregnant, Elizabeth swears she'd kick that girl's ass.

Reverting her mind back to the dream at hand, Elizabeth plops down on the couch to focus her mind on what she needed to grasp. Not what you're looking at, but you see. The soft voice speaks from the back of her mind. Danger. Danger.

Closing her eyes, Elizabeth enters her meditative state, swearing that she can do this. A lot of people's lives depended on what her mind has locked up and its on her to unlock it in order to solve the mystery of the crazy people known as her parents.

Before she can truly focus, however, a knock sounds at the door. If she didn't know any better, she would swear that Johnny can see through the damn door and just knocks when he knows she's trying to focus.

"What?" Elizabeth snaps, moving out of her meditative state before rising to her feet.

"Miss Davis." Johnny informs, hiding mostly behind the door, not willing to be in full view now that she's a bundle of hormones.

"Show her in." Elizabeth turns to walk over to the bar, not failing to notice that Jason got rid of all the alcohol. "A little late for a visit, isn't it, Alexis?"

"Maybe." Alexis shrugs out of her coat as the door closes behind her. "Got anything stronger than that?"

"Sorry...Jason has banned all form of alcohol from the penthouse." Elizabeth replies, pouring them a couple glasses of water. "He doesn't want me to get tempted to drink."

"Bad sport." Alexis smiles slightly, taking the water before sitting down on the couch.

"Actually, I don't mind." Elizabeth admits, sitting down on the club chair. "You can't tell anyone this...but, I'm pregnant."

The look on Alexis's face had Elizabeth practically doubling over in laughter. Having timed it perfectly, the words left Elizabeth's mouth the moment that Alexis took a drink of her water, leaving her stuck between spitting the water out or forcing herself to swallow. The look was absolutely priceless.

"I didn't know you two were...wow." Alexis shakes her head. "And, here, Jason said he wanted to take it slow."

"Technically we only did it once." Elizabeth defends. "I'm not sorry, though."

"_Technically_ only once, huh?" Alexis laughs softly, setting down the glass. "Congratulations, Liz."

"Thanks." Elizabeth smiles slightly. "So...getting back to you...should I be concerned that you're here so late?"

"Nah...I just didn't feel like being alone tonight, that's all." Alexis shakes her head. "Do you mind?"

"Not at all." Elizabeth concedes, settling back into the couch. "You're the only one of my friends that I don't have to keep up an image with."

"Friends?" Alexis looks at her curiously. "Is that what you think we are?"

"Aren't we?" Elizabeth counters. "You can tell me if we aren't because I'm still not good at the whole relating to people thing."

"No...I just..." Alexis shakes her head, laughing softly. "We're friends."

"Okay. Good." Elizabeth smiles slightly. "I take it you're not too good at the whole relating to people thing, either, huh?"

"Not exactly." Alexis admits, taking a drink of water. "I guess we can be bad at it together."

"Sounds like a plan." Elizabeth holds up her glass."To a one of a kind friendship."

"What you said." Alexis clinks her glass with hers before drinking the water.

Some time after midnight, Jason comes walking down the stairs in search of her, the bed feeling a little too empty when he reached for her and she wasn't there. Of course, he wasn't expecting to find his girlfriend and his lawyer, laughing quietly to themselves, when he decided to go looking for her.

"Alexis." Jason says from the stairs, prompting both women to look his way.

"Oh my, is it that time already?" Alexis says after glancing down at her watch. "I'm gonna get going."

"Thank you for stopping by." Elizabeth says as she shows Alexis to the door. "I'm glad I was awake to keep you company."

"Me, too." Alexis slides into her coat. "And congratulations, again. I'm sure you'll make a great mother."

"Thank you." Elizabeth watches Alexis get onto the elevator before she closes the door.

"Should I be worried?" Jason questions, sliding his arms around her from behind.

"No." she replies, leaning back against his chest. "I've just been trying to sift through the fog."

"The doctor said you shouldn't do anything that will prove to stress you out." he reminds her, turning her around so she could face him. "The information isn't worth the risk to your life."

"I know, okay?" Elizabeth says on a hushed tone. "I don't push myself the way I used to...I know my limit."

"Okay." he takes a deep breath before laying his forehead against hers. "You coming up to bed with me?"

"You go ahead." she whispers softly. "I'll be up in a little bit."

"Don't push yourself past your limit." he says seriously. "I can't take being in that hospital again. It almost killed me the last time.'

"I won't." she promises, closing her eyes as his lips claim hers swiftly. The last thing she wants is for him to worry, but she knows that she has the key to it all. "I'll be up soon."

"Okay." he sighs, pulling away. "If you need my help with anything..."

"You're just a flight of stairs away." she smiles slightly as he turns to walk back up the stairs.

Elizabeth knows that he's not happy with her staying up, but she also knows that he needs his rest and he couldn't stay downstairs with her. Watching him walk up the stairs, smiling a reassuring smile when he glances back, Elizabeth walks over to the couch once he's up the stairs.

Resuming her meditative stance, Elizabeth takes deep breaths in and out, trying to focus her mind in order to decipher her dreams. Not what you're looking at, but what you see. Deep breath in, deep breath out. She pulls away from the dream slightly to see the bigger picture, to try and see it the way Jason sees everything.

And, just like that, it hits her like a ton of bricks. The key to it all. Jumping up from the couch, Elizabeth yanks open the closet to grab the box full of stuff. She's finally figured it out and she won't let it slip her mind again.

Hours later, Jason comes down the stairs, worried that she hasn't come up to bed yet, like she said she would. As he makes his way downstairs, Jason finds her sifting through the items from her brother's box, reading a few lines before jotting down something entirely different in one of the notebooks he just bought for the warehouse.

"I borrowed a few of your notebooks." Elizabeth says apologetically when she notices he's there. "I'm almost finished with the notebooks he kept. The address book was easier to decode, so I did that first and finished it a couple hours ago."

"You figured it out?" Jason walks over to her before sitting down beside her and picking up the address book.

"Yeah." she smiles slightly, looking up from the book to look at him. "I stepped back and looked at it the way you would and it just fell into place. I told you that you have a beautiful perspective."

"Only you would see it that way."

"That's because only I can see you for who you are." Elizabeth says simply. "And, even if you don't agree, you have a beautiful mind and an even more beautiful heart."

"I love you." he whispers, leaning in to claim her lips.

"I love you." she replies with a slight smile. "And you're gonna love me even more when you read what I've deciphered...these are some crazy stuff, but its enough to bring down their entire organization."

"This is probably why they used the experiment on you." Jason comments, flipping through the address book before picking up one of the finished notebooks. "If this got out, it would cripple their entire organization and ruin decades of work."

"Too bad they underestimated me, huh?" Elizabeth smirks, returning her attention to the last notebook. "Now you just have to find a way to use this effectively."

"Oh, I can." Jason says with certainty. "With this, I can shatter their perfect little world."

"After all the pain they caused to me and countless others..." Elizabeth looks up at him, intently. "...make them suffer."

"I promise." he kisses her softly. "They'll regret the day they ever messed with you."

- - - back at undisclosed location - - -

"I don't care if she's pregnant." the prophet shouts into the phone. "It makes no difference to me! Just do your job!"

"How can you say it makes no difference?" his wife steps into the office once he hangs up the phone. "That is our daughter you are talking about...our grandchild...you cannot believe that it makes no difference."

"It makes no difference." he rises to his feet. "Are you going soft on me?"

"No...I just...why can't it wait?" she says softly. "She's pregnant...that used to matter to you...pregnant women weren't allowed into the program."

"She's the only successful case we have." he states firmly. "Be grateful that I've left your son alive whereas countless others perished."

"I won't let you hurt her." she says beneath her breath as the door closes behind her husband. "Prophecy or not...she's my daughter...I'll die before I let you harm her."

Taking out her burn phone, she dials a number she never thought she'd have to dial. Waiting for the answering machine, she leaves a message with her whole heart.

"Its time." she says with tears in her eyes. "My children's lives are on the line...I know I said I didn't need you, but I do...I need your help. You know my number...I'll wait to here from you."

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews!**

**Hope you liked the twist. More to come...can't wait to hear from you.**

**- ROCkER**


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter Thirty-Three**

Flushing the toilet, sending a perfectly good meal down the drain, Elizabeth makes her way back into the living room. Jason has left to meet up with Mac and Jagger, bringing more than a few guards along with him, to get the plan together.

Before leaving the penthouse, Jason had informed Sonny that they were getting closer to putting an end to the situation. All Sonny seemed to care about was the fact that Robin will make it home alive. Of course, they could all hear the brunette making threats through the door, and that had Elizabeth itching to break down Sonny's door and teach the bitch some manners.

Jason, however, stood in her way, telling her that Brenda wasn't worth it. Of course, Elizabeth begged to differ and pushed her way past Jason and Sonny both, pushing the door open to come face to face with Brenda. That had been the perfect outlet for her frustration and pent up anger.

"Shut up, already!" Elizabeth had shouted at her. "The next threat that comes out of your mouth better be directed at someone other than my boyfriend or so help you, god...I will lay your ass out in a heartbeat! Do you understand me?!"

"How dare you?!" Brenda shouted back. "Do you know who I am?"

"The bitch that's about to have my fist down her throat if she doesn't shut up." Elizabeth counters, anger flooding her being. "I dare you to utter something else about him...go ahead...give me a reason!"

When Brenda didn't say anything further, Elizabeth slammed the door shut before turning her gaze on the two stunned men. With a slight smile, she kissed Jason, said goodbye to Sonny, and walked back into their penthouse.

Thinking back on that moment earlier this morning, a part of her had really hoped Brenda would've said something else. Even though she also knew that Jason wouldn't let her get physical with the brunette, mostly because she's pregnant and he'd rather she didn't get arrested for assaulting Brenda, it was still nice to think about.

"Crap." she mutters, glancing at her watch - another thing Jason insisted on. "Just great."

Rushing up the stairs, Elizabeth takes a quick bath, scrubs her mouth clean, before getting dressed and booking it out of the penthouse. In all the craziness that is the Webbers, she had forgotten that she had a shift in half an hour.

"Whoa! Where's the fire?" Alexis comments when Elizabeth flies into the elevator and jabs at the button for the lobby - the guards walking on just as the doors are closing.

"Sorry...running late." Elizabeth shoves her arms into her jacket, taking a deep breath before turning to Alexis. "Why didn't you get off?"

"I came to see you." Alexis admits, smiling slightly when Elizabeth shakes her head. "I wanted you to know for sure that the case has been dropped."

"Oh...thanks." Elizabeth had to admit that it felt more final with her lawyer saying it. "I appreciate you coming all the way over here to tell me that."

"I could have called to tell you that." Alexis points out before holding up a bag. "I came over to give you this."

"Well, now I feel bad." Elizabeth says as she takes the bag from Alexis. "I didn't get you anything."

"Its not much." Alexis shakes her head. "Just wanted to help out in some way."

Opening the bag as the elevator doors opened, Elizabeth couldn't believe what was in the bag. Books on what to expect when you're expecting to baby names and baby proofing a home. There's also a book on how to deal with the emotions brought on during pregnancy.

"What, no anger management books?" Elizabeth says teasingly, arching her eyebrow as they got off the elevator.

"I doubt there's any use for one." Alexis laughs softly. "Besides, its normal for pregnant women to be crabby, so you're good."

"Thanks for these, Alexis, really." Elizabeth hugs her slightly before pulling away. "It means a lot that you even thought to get these for me."

"So you like them?" Alexis questions. "I wasn't sure if I was overstepping or anything and..."

"I love them, Alexis." Elizabeth assures. "And as long as you don't try to tell me what to do or walking in on me and Jason...you're not overstepping any boundaries."

"Good to know." Alexis shakes her head, walking out with her to their waiting cars.

After making plans to hangout after her shift, the two friends go their separate ways. Morning sickness was still getting to her, but Elizabeth wouldn't let it stop her from doing her job. She may not need the money to pay for the penthouse or groceries, but she does need it to pay for the house that's still in the works.

Elizabeth tried to eat solid food, but she ended up throwing it up moments after. So, even if she didn't like it, she stuck with soup. At least that stayed down and gave her energy to finish off her shift. She was halfway through her shift when Jason called to tell her that he was heading out of town.

After running the plan by her, Elizabeth had to admit it was a good one, and that it was okay for him to leave. Yes, it was still dangerous, and yes, she wanted to be there with him, but he was right and she had to accept that.

- - - undisclosed location - - -

"I'm glad you called me." Joe Scully says firmly, smiling slightly at the woman. "I would have hoped you'd have called sooner."

"I know." she replies, allowing him to wrap his arms around her. "I thought I could handle it on my own...he's just gotten so out of hand and I..."

"I get it." Joe says in a hushed tone. "Show me where they are and I'll get them out of the compound. My men are waiting for a location."

"I drew you a map." she hands it to him. "And Joe..."

"We'll talk about that later." Joe couldn't even think about her letting Elizabeth be part of the experiment. "We have bigger problems to deal with."

"Okay...but our Lizzie...she's in danger." she informs him. "I'm not strong enough to protect her...he won't even listen to me..."

"He won't hurt her." Joe says sternly. "I'll die before that happens."

"He still doesn't know that..." she trails off, shaking her head. "I figured it was safer that way."

"You both decided to keep it a secret." Joe assures her, kissing her forehead softly. "There's a boat to the east of the island...my men will take you away from here."

"My children..."

"I'll protect them." he says firmly. "Now go before he finds out I'm here."

"Thank you, Joe." she whispers, staring into his eyes before booking it out of the secret passageway.

"Time to kill a prophet." Joe says sternly, handing off the map. "You take the men and handle the rescue mission...I'll handle the prophet myself."

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews!**

**Hope you liked the twist. More to come...can't wait to hear from you.**

**- ROCkER**


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter Thirty-Four**

From crazy to crazier, Sonny's reality has just been turned inside out, set on fire, and remade to look like a complete surreal. The man that he had thought to be dead, is standing in front of him, making outright threats, which made Sonny feel inferior and incapable.

"Take this for what it is, Corinthos." Joe Sr. says firmly, staring at the man that had been his right hand. "A courtesy call. Port Charles is big enough for both our organizations...don't push my hand into taking you down before I settle down."

"This is my town!" Sonny rises to his feet, forcing himself to sound more confident that he felt. "You don't get to just come in here and make demands of me!"

"This isn't a negotiation. This isn't a compromise. You have two choices, that's it." Joe Sr. states, eyeing the man intently. "Soon enough, my son will take over, and he isn't as understanding as I am...accept the change or crumble under the pressure. Your choice."

Snapping his fingers, Joe Sr. ushers his men out of Sonny's office with him, the others that were scattered through the warehouse follow behind soon after. With a slight smirk, Joe Sr. listens as Sonny flips his desk in the office, exactly what he wanted.

To betray the man that built you up, that's one thing, to turn a father against a son...well, that could just about get you killed. With his business back to what it once was, Joe Sr, is inching closer to retirement and then Sonny will be his son's problem. But, for now, while he's still the at the top of his game, Joe Sr. will secure his son's standing in Port Charles before retirement claims him.

"Tell me what I want to hear." Joe Sr. sternly.

"The doctor and the follower have been taken care of. " Enrique, his top enforcer, informs him; locked, loaded, and ready to serve. "What do we do now, boss?"

"Take three of our best men." Joe Sr. states, standing in his new office. "Until Junior or I say otherwise, your main focus is my granddaughter. Do not fail. Do not be discovered."

"Yes, sir." Enrique nods once before taking out his cellphone and walking away.

"Send Victor in." Joe says over the phone.

"He's on his way, sir." his secretary informs.

"Thank you, Mia." Joe replies before hanging up the phone. Yes, he's learnt respect over the years, wasn't easy, but accomplished.

Settling into his chair, Joe Sr. thinks back over the last few years. His son's decision to let that woman keep his daughter from him was, for lack of a better word, stupid. One thing that Joe Sr. installed into his son was that family came first. Allowing that woman to do all she has done to their flesh and blood...Joe Sr. would never be okay with it.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Victor's tentative voice speaks from the doorway.

"Come in." Joe Sr. says to his computer genius. "I want everything you can get me on one Jason Morgan, former Quartermaine."

"Business?"

"No." Joe Sr. shakes his head. "This, Victor, is most definitely personal. Do your best and put it into words I understand."

"Yes, sir." Victor bows slightly before leaving to his technology cave.

Rolling her head from side to side, Elizabeth stretches her aching body, this pregnancy seriously wasn't agreeing with her. Plopping into her seat, Elizabeth decides to have a bowl of soup before she heads home, no sense in trying to make her own soup.

Thanking the waitress for the soup, she sets her cellphone down on the table, every part of her wishing that Jason would call. She knows its not possible, he's focused on the task at hand, and he couldn't afford to have his mind wander.

It didn't stop her from worrying over him or wishing he were there instead of wherever he was. With a soft sigh, Elizabeth shakes her head and focuses on her soup. After she finishes her soup, she'll go home and try her best to relax. Hopefully its possible.

"Ready to head home?" Johnny asks, an hour later.

"No." Elizabeth rises to her feet, tossing a couple bills on the table. "Might as well, though."

Walking out of the diner, Elizabeth felt like she was being watched, more than usual, and that put her on guard. Stopping by the car, she turns her head from side to side, a feeling bugging her as she searches for what her mind was trying to find.

Then, out of nowhere, her eyes fixed on a black sedan a few spaces over. Tinted windows, too inconspicuous that it looked completely conspicuous. Enrique, who sat on the inside, couldn't help but smirk. She's a sharp on, that's for sure.

"You okay?" Johnny questions when she doesn't get in the car.

"Yeah." Elizabeth shakes her head, staring at the car for a moment longer before turning her gaze on Johnny. "I'm fine."

Getting into the car, Elizabeth takes a deep breath before settling into the chair before pulling the bag of books that Alexis had given her. The book she needed to read through, right now, is the breakdown of emotions. With all the hormones in her, Elizabeth is certain she needs to get a handle on her emotions.

"Who the hell are you?" Jason glares at a man, standing off with guns drawn.

"You'll soon find out." Joe says plainly, angling his gun a little to the side. "Now, duck."

"What?" Jason looks at him confusedly.

"Drop down, you idiot!" Joe snaps, firing off his gun once Jason drops. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a prophet to kill."

"The prophet's mine!" Jason stops Joe from going any further.

"Says who?" Joe counters, arching his eyebrow.

"Says me." Jason states. "He hurt someone important to me and I'm going to kill him."

"Suit yourself." Joe shrugs, yanking his arm away from Jason's grip. "I'll do the torturing...you can kill him."

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews!**

**Hope you liked the twist. More to come...can't wait to hear from you.**

**- ROCkER**


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter Thirty-Five**

The silence is almost deafening as they make their way through the facility, both acutely aware of the other as they proceed to track down the prophet. It was taking a lot out of Jason to trust the man he knows nothing about, but he had no time to do anything else. The prophet needs to die and by Jason's hand. If the only way to make that happen is to let this man torture him first, so be it.

As they make their way through the various passageways, Jason gets a sudden intense feeling of walking into an ambush. From the look on the other Joe's face, Jason could see that he felt it too. Giving each other the look that meant to be alert, they make their way further into the compound, one destination in mind.

"Hit the ground!" Joe shouts at Jason, dropping along side him just as a few rounds fly through the air.

Firing off a rounds of their own, Joe grabs Jason by the arm, pulling him up to run for cover. Finding a spot to fend off the shooters, Jason and Joe both look for the best vantage point where the snipers could be set up, finding at least three spots that would work best.

"There's a back passageway that leads into the room where the prophet would be held up." Joe points down the hall. "You take the third door on the left, the passageway is behind the bookshelf."

"What about you?" he counters, looking at him intently. "Didn't you say you wanted to torture him?"

"Plans change." Joe states as more rounds are fired into the hall they are in. "Just go get it done. I'll handle the snipers."

Taking the rifle that's strapped to his back, Jason hands it off to Joe before booking it down the hall to the room that he had be told, finding the bookshelf up against the back wall. Quickly finding the switch to open up the passageway, Jason keeps his gun drawn as he makes his way through the tunnels, even more on edge than before.

"Everything okay?" Alexis pulls her out of her inner thoughts and back to the world around them.

"Uh, yeah." Elizabeth shakes her head, seriously feeling like she was being watched more than usual. "I guess I'm just a little on edge with Jason out of town."

"I'm sure he's fine." Alexis says reassuringly. "I mean, he is Jason after all."

"That's what has me worried." Elizabeth sighs, shaking her head. "The fact that he's Jason...anything can happen."

"What can I do?" Alexis questions, smiling slightly when Elizabeth looks at her curiously. "To take your mind off it."

"You're doing it." Elizabeth assures. "Believe me, I'd be worse off if I was at home by myself."

"Why don't you tell me about that place you're building." Alexis suggests. "I'd love to know what you plan on doing with it."

"I actually have the plans at the studio, if you want to see it."

"I'd love that." Alexis smiles slightly. "With you building it, I'm sure it'll be a sight to see."

Paying for their drinks, the two friends make their way to Elizabeth's studio, securing themselves inside while the guards station themselves outside the door, a couple stationed outside the building. While Elizabeth gets the sculptures she did for the house, Alexis makes them a couple cups of hot cocoa before sitting down beside her on the couch.

"This is a rough sculpture of what the house will look like on the outside." Elizabeth sets the sculpture down on the table before setting down the larger sculpture beside it. "And this is what the inside will look like."

"Wow...this is so beautiful." Alexis runs her fingers over the sculpture, truly at awe.

"Alexis..." she stops her from pulling the bigger sculpture in front of her. "Thank you, for this."

"Anytime." Alexis assures, smiling softly when Elizabeth removes her hand and allows her to look over the plans for the inside of the house. "These are really detailed."

"I've spent a lot of time creating them." Elizabeth shrugs, leaning back against the couch. "I want the place to come together exactly how I imagined it that day."

"Remind me to ask you to do my place when I decide to settle down." Alexis comments, picking up the dining table that was beautifully sculpted. "These are just so beautiful."

Jason made it into the room pretty easily, but what waited for him wasn't anything that he had expected. Stuck in a showdown with the prophet, Jason was doing his best to stay covered while firing off shots, trying his best to get a good aim. With everything in the room, it was almost impossible to get a good aim on the prophet, making this a futile battle.

"You might as well give up now!" the prophet shouts. "You'll never get a good aim and I have enough ammo to do this all day!"

"I'll give up once you're dead!" Jason shouts back, reloading his gun, peeking out the side, trying to find out where the prophet has situated himself now.

"Strange that you'd risk your life for a woman that will soon forget you ever existed." the prophet comments, reloading his gun. "Once I get my hands on her, you and everything she's learnt will be gone...but this time, it'll be forever!"

"Over my dead body." Jason mutters, rising to his feet, firing off the shot just as the prophet rises to fire off his shot, successfully hitting him in the shoulder. "You'll never get anywhere near her again...not as long as I'm alive."

Making his way over to the prophet, Jason kicks away the gun before staring down at the so-called prophet. More than anything, Jason wanted to strangle him with his bare hands, watching the light drain out of his eyes, making sure that he's the last thing the prophet will ever see, but he won't do that.

"There's a cure." the prophet mutters, a slight smirk on his lips. "One dose and she'll have her memory back...she'll have her life back. If you kill me, she'll never get either."

"She doesn't need either." Jason says plainly. "She has a new life...she has new memories...she doesn't need your cure. She doesn't need anything from you."

"How can you truly know that's what she wants?" he counters, chuckling. "Can you live with not knowing?"

"I'll manage." Jason fires off the kill shot, taking a deep breath before shaking his head. It was the right choice. The prophet couldn't be trusted and he didn't deserve to live. It was the right choice.

Making his way back through the passageway, Jason could still hear the gunfire down the hall, prompting him to rush to the aide of the man that had given him what he wanted. The prophet's death at his hand. Finding Joe, he could see that he had taken out two snipers, taking one bullet to the arm.

"How many more?" Jason asks, taking cover.

"One." Joe concedes, leaning against the wall. "I can't get a good shot."

Finding the sniper's spot, Jason settles his gun on a crate, taking aim as he sets his grip on the gun. For a moment, he couldn't get a clear read on the shooter, but then the sniper makes the fatal decision to take a breath, lifting his head slightly, just enough for Jason to take the kill shot, dropping the sniper in an instant.

"Nice shot." Joe comments, pushing away from the wall, holding out his hand. "The name's Joe Scully Jr."

"Scully?" Jason looks at him confusedly. "As in..."

"Yeah...his son." Joe shakes his head. "I'm also Elizabeth's biological father...so welcome to meet the parents. Part one, anyway."

Standing in front of the mirror, Elizabeth lifts her shirt over her stomach, gently touching the forming baby bump. Her stomach has slowly started to form, becoming more firm with each passing day, making her smile slightly as she thinks of the small life that's forming inside of her. She'll be seeing the doctor for her two month checkup tomorrow afternoon, making her wish that Jason could be there, but knowing that he wouldn't be.

"Hurry home, Jason." she whispers, gently rubbing her stomach. "Hurry back to us."


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter Thirty-Six**

Waking up in the early morning, Elizabeth slips out of bed, making her way to the bathroom. With Jason gone, she couldn't help but feel the loneliness that would creep into her while she's in the penthouse. Anywhere else, Elizabeth wouldn't miss him as much. In the penthouse, its like its magnified tenfold and she wishes that he'd just get back already.

After a long hot bath, she gets dressed before heading down to make some breakfast, hoping that the food wouldn't take a trip down the toilet, like every other time she eats a decent meal. Heading downstairs, she's about to take the turn into the kitchen when a knock sounds at the door. After a little thought, she turns away from her previous destination, heading towards the door instead.

"Alexis?" Elizabeth looks at her friend curiously. "A little early for you, isn't it?"

"There's something I need to tell you." Alexis says carefully, taking a deep breath. "Maybe you should sit down for this."

"Just say it." Elizabeth folds her arms across her chest, eyeing her intently. "What's going on?"

"Can we go inside at least?" Alexis counters, looking at her pleadingly. "Its important."

"Fine." Elizabeth steps aside, shutting the door once Alexis passes through it. "You've got what you wanted. Spit it out."

"Are you sure you don't want to sit down?" Alexis says after a moment. "I mean, this kind of news..."

"Alexis!" she snaps, looking at her seriously. "Spit it out."

"Okay, okay." Alexis sighs, walking over to lean against the back of the club chair. "Its about Jason."

"What about Jason?" Elizabeth eyes her seriously, getting a sudden sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"The ship the B.O.D. chartered to head to the island has been lost in a storm." Alexis explains. "They've started a search and rescue, but it doesn't look good."

"You need to go." Elizabeth says after a long moment, pulling open the door.

"Elizabeth..."

"I appreciate you coming here to tell me this, but you need to go, Alexis." she says seriously, taking in a shaky breath. "I want to be alone."

"But, I..."

"Please." Elizabeth states almost pleadingly. "Just go."

"Okay." Alexis concedes, walking over to her, an apologetic smile on her face. "If you find that you need to talk..."

"I've got your number." Elizabeth says simply, shaking her head. "I'll see you later."

Once Alexis passes through the door, Elizabeth shuts it firmly, shutting her eyes tightly as she tries to control her breathing. Until Jason's dead body is on a slab in front of her, there was no way she'd believe he was dead. She couldn't. Jason's a smart man. There's more than a possibility that he's alive.

"You okay?" Johnny questions when she walks out of the penthouse a couple hours later.

"I'm fine." she says simply. "Who's taking me to work today?"

"Me and Ritchie." Johnny concedes, hitting the button for the lobby. "He's bringing the car around front."

The conversation ends there as they get to the lobby and head off to the diner for Elizabeth's shift. She just had to get through this shift and make it to her appointment. With the possibility of losing Jason hanging over her head, Elizabeth needed the doctor's appointment now more than ever. She just needed good news and knowing her baby's growing the way it should will do it.

"You must have a great deal of good fortune on your side." Joe comments, shaking his head. "It looks like the ship you and your men were on has been lost in a storm."

"Depends on how you look at it." Jason states, eyeing Elizabeth's mother plainly. "How much longer do we have before we hit land?"

"We'll be there soon enough." Joe says simply. "And don't even think of trying anything. She's off limits to you."

"For now." Jason says plainly, turning to look out at the water. "Just hurry this thing up."

"In a hurry?" Joe counters, looking at him curiously.

"If you're right and the ship I was on has been lost in a storm, its only a matter of time before word gets back to Elizabeth, if it hasn't already." Jason states seriously. "So, yeah, I'm in a hurry."

Turning away from the railing, Jason heads below deck to check on his men, make sure none of them have lost in and killed any of Joe's men. Seeing as Jason was ready to do that and much more to both of Elizabeth's parents, he wouldn't blame his men for wanting to the same with the people they're stuck with.

"Can I talk to you?"

"Do what you want." Jason looks at Elizabeth's mother plainly before making his way back up to the top after having been assured that none of his men would kill anyone on the boat. "Doesn't mean I'll listen."

"I know what you must think of me." she says seriously. "But you have to know that I love my daughter."

"I'd hate to imagine what you'd have done had you hated her." Jason counters, stopping in his tracks to look at her.

"You have no idea what my life has been like." she defends herself. "What's its been like to be married to the prophet."

"Don't even try to play the pity card." Jason snaps, glaring at the woman. "Nothing you could possibly say will excuse drugging your daughter and taking away her memories."

"I know that my actions are inexcusable." she concedes, looking at him apologetically. "I know that I can never make it up to her, but she's okay now..."

"How the hell do you know?" Jason states through gritted teeth. "You don't know anything about her! You have no idea what kind of hell that she's been through because of you and your husband!"

"What's going on over here?" Joe questions, having heard the commotion from his office.

"I'm only going to say this once." Jason says sternly. "Keep her away from me or I'll kill her."

"What are you thinking?" Joe asks her once Jason heads to the other side of the ship. "Do you suddenly have a death wish or what?"

"I was just trying to explain my side." she defends. "If I'm gonna have any chance with our daughter, I need him on my corner."

"That's never going to happen."

"How do you know?"

"He's in love with our daughter." he says simply. "The last thing that man's gonna do is help you. Not after everything that's happened."

"What about you?" she counters. "Do you hate me for my part in everything?"

"We're just about to dock." Joe counters, shaking his head. "From there we'll take the private plane to Port Charles. Make sure you've got everything together before then."

She wants to stop him from walking away, but watches him walk away instead. There wasn't anything she could say or do in that moment to apologize to him anyway. So, instead of making matters worse between them, she simply walks off to make sure that her things were set to leave the ship. Hoping that things would somehow get better between her and Joe.

"They tell you when your doctor's gonna be available?" Johnny asks Elizabeth, sitting beside her in the waiting room.

"One of her patients went into labor." Elizabeth says simply. "Its not gonna kill me to wait until she's done delivering the baby."

"I'm just saying, what's the point in making appointments if the docs can't stick to them."

"Oh, Johnny." she laughs softly, shaking her head. "I appreciate what you're trying to do, really, I do, but please stop."

"Can't blame a guy for trying." he shrugs, leaning back against the seat. "But seriously, that doc needs to hurry it up."

"I'll be seen soon enough." Elizabeth says simply. "Just relax and read a magazine or something."

Picking up a magazine that had to be older than even Francis, he settles back to read about stuff he couldn't care less about. He knows that babies are a miracle and whatnot, but he just wanted that doctor to hurry up and see Elizabeth so they could go back to the penthouse where she's a lot safer. The hospital, like many public places, are a security nightmare.

"Liz." Johnny taps her shoulder.

"Johnny." she slaps his hand. "Its only been ten minutes. Stop being so impatient."

"No, Elizabeth, seriously." Johnny nudges her. "Look."

"Jason." Elizabeth whispers, setting down the magazine before rising to her feet.

The look in Jason's eyes beckoned her to him, prompting her to run as fast as she could, thrusting herself into his arms as she held him tightly. It was real. He's really there, in her arms, safe and sound. She didn't care how, she didn't care why, all she cared about was the fact that he wasn't a world away.

"Wait...is that..." Elizabeth watches as her brother and Robin are rolled through the double doors."

"Yeah, that's Steven." Jason says softly, pulling away to look at her, thankful to be back with her again. "We've got a lot to talk about, but first...why are you at the hospital?"

"I have an appointment with my doctor." she says simply. "Routine checkup."

"Right, I forgot." he sighs, shaking his head. "Did I miss it?"

"No...I'm still waiting to be seen." she assures him, reaching up to caress his cheek. "Tell me this is over...tell me you finished it."

"Its over." he says with conviction. "I finished it."

"Thank you."

"Elizabeth Webber." a nurse calls out, smiling slightly when she steps forward. "Your doctor can see you now."

"Thanks." she says to the nurse before turning to Jason. "You coming?"

"Try and stop me." he counters, taking her hand in his before following the nurse to the examination room.

Standing by, watching the entire exchange, the two are caught with their hearts in their throats, wondering how they'll ever have a relationship with their daughter. Joe couldn't help but feel proud of his daughter, being able to take the hand she's been dealt and survive it, he couldn't help but be at awe of her.

"What do we do now?" she asks him almost pleadingly.

"I don't know." Joe admits, turning to look at her. "All I know is that she's our daughter and I'm not going to give up without a fight."


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter Thirty-Seven**

Laying atop of the hospital examination bed, Elizabeth closes her eyes as she strokes Jason's hair, his head resting atop of her stomach while his arm rests atop her legs. For a long moment, they stay like that, simply relishing in the moment they have found themselves in.

"Seven more months." he whispers, gently stroking her stomach with his thumb. "Seven more months before we get to meet you. Seven more months before we get to hold you and show you the world. Just seven more months."

"Do you ever think about what kind of parents we'll be?" Elizabeth questions, causing him to look up at her. "I mean, what if we mess up?"

"We will. We're not gonna be perfect." Jason says simply. "All we can do is be the best parents we can be and hope its enough."

"Thanks." she looks at him sarcastically. "That was reassuring."

"We'll be fine." he assures her, smiling slightly. "Its you and me. We'll figure it out together, okay?"

"Okay." she accepts, allowing him to lay his head back down. "Sounds good."

Moments later the doctor comes back in to give them the results of the tests they ran. Getting a clean bill of health had put Elizabeth in a better mood than she could hope for. Especially with everything that awaits her after her appointment comes to an end.

"Keep up the good work and I'll see you back for your next appointment in a couple weeks." her doctor says with a smile. "And remember to indulge your cravings, okay?"

"Yes, doctor." Elizabeth says simply. "I'll keep that in mind."

"I think we should have that talk now." Jason points out when the doctor leaves the room. "Have you eaten yet?"

"Not yet." she admits, allowing him to help her up from the bed. "Do you want to go home to eat?"

"Yeah." he agrees, helping her into her jacket. "I promise I'll bring you back after we talk."

"Okay."

Leaving the hospital, she spots a couple in the waiting room and - for a moment - she can't help but watch them. She couldn't understand why, but she felt drawn to them. With the ding of the elevator, though, her mind is taken off them and returns back to Jason, holding him close as they ride the elevator down to the parking garage. Making their way home where they could have the privacy they needed.

"The hospital will call Audrey, right?" Elizabeth finds herself asking as they drive home. "I mean, someone will tell her about Steven, won't they?"

"They'll call her." he assures her with a slight smile. "Don't worry about that."

"I just know how much he means to her and..." she lets out a deep sigh. "I really want her to have him back."

"He was put through the same procedure that you were." he reminds her. "There's no telling what he'll be like once he wakes up. He could be the Steven she loves, but then again..."

"He could wake up a different person." she finishes for him, taking a deep breath to control her confusing emotions. "I really hope not."

"I know."

Getting back to the penthouse, they spend the next hour preparing their food and eating it before they get down to the inevitable talk. Starting from the beginning, Jason tells her about getting to the island and stumbling onto Joe and his men. He tells her about how it went down, about killing the prophet, and then...about her parents.

"That couple, in the hospital...was that..."

"Yeah, that was them." Jason shakes his head. "Your father's name is Joseph Scully Jr."

"And my mother?"

"I never actually got her name." he admits, shrugging his shoulders. "You can ask her, if you want."

"The last thing I want to do is talk to that woman." she states, focusing on his eyes, seeing something confusing. "What aren't you telling me?"

"What do you mean?"

"Its in your eyes." she says seriously. "You're trying to keep something from me again."

"I'm not trying to keep it from you." he sighs, taking her hands in his. "I'm just trying to find a way to tell you."

"Don't over think it." she says simply. "Just say it."

"The prophet, before I killed him, he said that there was a cure." Jason admits carefully, watching for her reaction. "He said that one dose of it could give you back your memories...give you back your life."

"Do you believe him?" she counters. "When you shot him, did you believe that he was right? That there was a cure?"

"No." he says seriously. "I didn't believe a word he said."

"Then let it go." she says simply. "We already had a chance to get my memory back and it slipped us by."

"I know, but what if you could get your memory back?" he counters, looking at her seriously. "What if he did have the cure and I ruined your only chance of getting it?"

"That's one too many what ifs for me to handle." Elizabeth reaches up one hand to caress his cheek. "The past isn't as important as the future...you and our baby...that's my future. That's all that matters."

"Are you sure?" he questions, pushing the issue further. "I could always ask your mother about the cure...maybe she'd know..."

"I just want this to be over." Elizabeth says seriously. "I don't want to talk to her or ask her for anything...I just want this to be done."

"Okay." he shakes his head. "I won't bring it up again."

"Thank you." she kisses him softly before rising to her feet. "I think we should go back to the hospital now."

"Yeah, okay." he says simply. "Lets go."

Heading to the hospital, Jason felt like kicking himself in the ass for pushing her on the fact that there could have been a cure. By the look on her face, it looked like she was stuck in the clutter once more, trying to piece together a memory or being flooded by clips of different memories and that made him angrier with himself.

As they get off the elevator, they see Audrey walking out of a hospital room, obviously the one that they had Steven in. From the look on her face, they could see that she felt like she had gotten her miracle. That all her prayers had been answered and there was her grandson. Alive and well. Mostly, anyway.

"Elizabeth." Audrey greets her. "Jason, they told me you helped bring him home..."

"I didn't do much." he says seriously, which was the truth. All he really did was kill the prophet.

"Regardless, thank you." she says wholeheartedly. "You have no idea what it felt like to get the call that he was here."

"Is he...did he wake up?" Elizabeth questions carefully.

"For a moment." Audrey admits. "He woke up long enough to ask for you."

"He asked for me?" she looks at her curiously.

"Yeah." Audrey smiles softly. "Maybe if you go in and sit with him...maybe he'll wake up again."

"Um...okay." Elizabeth takes a deep breath, watching her grandmother leave before turning to her boyfriend. "Jason..."

"I'll go check on Robin." Jason says softly, leaning and kissing her forehead. "Call me if you need me, okay?"

"I will." she assures, shaking her head. "And if she's awake when you go see her...would you let her know I'm glad she made it home safely?"

"I'll tell her."

"Thank you."

Kissing once more, the two lovers go their separate ways, her to her brother's bedside, him to Robin's. While she carefully sits by her brother's bedside, looking at him intently, trying to fully take in the man that is her brother.

From the moment she woke up, she had wanted to meet him, to know the man that everyone talked so highly about. Sitting beside him now, she can't help but wonder what he'll think of her. As crazy as that felt to even consider.

"Please, wake up." she says softly. "I don't know why, but I need to know you. I need you to know me. So, please, wake up."

While she sits by her brother, Jason somehow convinces Mac to let him sit by Robin's bedside. In that moment, he doesn't see the girl that hurt his girlfriend, he doesn't see the girl that came up with the stupid plan to trap him into talking about their past, all he sees is Robin. The girl he had once loved. The girl that suffered through so much to survive, who is now laying in yet another hospital bed.

"I'm so sorry this happened to you." Jason says, carefully taking her hand in his. "I have faith you'll get past this, though. You'll wake up and you'll move on with your life...you'll find someone new, someone that deserves you. But you have to be okay first...you have to be."


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter Thirty-Eight**

For hours she has been sitting at Steven's bedside, but he has yet to move an inch or show any signs of waking. A part of her wondered if she was really doing any good by sitting there. What difference didn't it really make if she sat beside him or not? If he was going to wake up, wouldn't he wake up regardless of her being there or not?

Even though it seemed completely pointless for her to sit there, doing absolutely nothing but staring at him, she just couldn't bring herself to get up from that chair and walk out the door. Whatever was keeping her in that chair, Elizabeth decided not to question it. She had enough clutter in her mind to even try to figure out why she was still sitting there.

"Hey." Jason's soft voice speaks from behind her, placing a soft kiss atop her head. "Any changes?"

"No. Still the same." she sighs, leaning her head back against the chair. "What about Robin? Any changes with her?"

"No, no changes." he admits sadly, taking a deep breath. "Maybe we should go home and get some rest. I'll bring you back in the morning."

"I know I should go home, but I just..." Elizabeth looks at him intently. "I don't know why, but I feel like I should be here. That I need to be here."

"I understand that, I do." he assures, kneeling down in front of her. "But we have to think about what's best for you and the baby right now...and that's a good night's sleep in our bed."

"I know you're right." she sighs, looking over at Steven for a moment before looking at Jason again. "Okay...lets go home."

Taking hold of his hand, Elizabeth hugs his arm to her body before walking out of the room with him, all the while hoping that Steven would wake up soon. Silence greets them as they make their way to the elevator, making the place feel so much more creepier than it usually does, which was creepy enough to start with.

Watching them leave the hospital, Joe makes a call to the men that are guarding his daughter, making sure that they leave the couple be for now and check in with him at the hospital. He had a strange feeling that he shouldn't leave the hospital any time soon and his instincts haven't been wrong yet.

"Nothing much to report, sir." Enrique says to Joe as they stand in the hospital waiting area. "Its been silent all around since your father placed us in charge of her protection."

"No one suspicious hanging around?" Joe looks at him skeptically. "Nothing playing on your instincts?"

"Well, there's this one woman, but she's a lawyer and you know how I feel about them, sir."

"Name?"

"Alexis Davis." Enrique concedes. "She's been on Corinthos's payroll for quite some time."

"Why does that name sound so familiar?" Joe tries to wrack his brain to figure it out, but comes up blank.

"Everything okay, sir?" Enrique questions, arching his eyebrow. "From what Mr. Scully said, you already ended the threat on your daughter."

"Something's just not sitting right with me." Joe shakes his head, his gut instinct screaming for him to stay defensive. "Go back on your detail and call me the moment something pops up."

"Yes, sir."

Turning away from the guard, Joe makes his way to Steven's room, looking in on the young man before making his way to Robin's room. Until this itching feeling in the pit of his stomach goes away, Joe wants to make sure that the two of them are safe and sound.

"You okay?" Jason wraps his arms around her as they stand in the doorway of the guest room. "I was waiting for you in our room."

"Sorry." she sighs, leaning back against his chest. "I guess I just got caught up."

"What are you thinking about?"

"I wasn't actually trying to think about anything really." she admits, holding his arms close. "I was just trying to get the clutter to go away when a new thought popped into my head."

"What thought would that be?"

"The sculptures I made of the house we're trying to build." she says simply. "I just realized that I didn't make any plans for a nursery or a play area for the baby. I didn't plan anything for him or her."

"You can make new plans." he suggests. "We haven't finalized the plans yet, remember?"

"I know, but why?" she questions, turning to look at him. "Why didn't it register in my mind to plan for a nursery or a play area? I'm gonna be a mom. That should have gone without question...why didn't I make plans for it?"

"Hey...you've had a lot on your mind." he reminds her, framing her face in his hands. "You're thinking about it now and you'll adjust the plans to fit it, okay?"

"I guess." she sighs. "I still think I should have planned for it from the start."

"A lot of parents don't plan for the nursery until well into the second trimester." he defends, needing her to understand that its okay. "You're barely through your first trimester, Liz."

"You always know what to say, don't you?" she counters, smiling slightly. "I think I'm ready for bed now."

Shutting off the lights in the hall, Jason and Elizabeth make their way to their bedroom, both needing a good nights sleep, knowing that they'd have a better chance of finding that together. The thought about a nursery and play area linger in her mind for a moment before sleep slowly overcomes her. Tomorrow she'll start planning for both, she swears it as her last thought before the world turns dark and she slips into a peaceful slumber.

"What's going on?" Jason asks Mac when they arrive at the hospital to find an onslaught of medical personnel working on Robin.

"I don't know." Mac says seriously. "One minute she's fine and the next...this."

"Do they know what might have caused it?" Jason questions, looking in on Robin.

"From what I could gather, they found a syringe by her bed." Mac sighs, running one hand down his face. "I have a sick feeling that this has something to do with that damn prophet."

"Steven." Elizabeth whispers before running off in the direction of her brother's room, desperately needing to see for herself that he was okay.

Getting to his room, Elizabeth lets out a breathe of relief when she finds him laying in bed, no medical personnel in sight, lifting her hopes that everything was okay. Seeing her grandmother sitting by the bed, reading what looked like some kind of novel, Elizabeth relaxes further. She didn't look to be stressed in the least, which had to mean that Steven was fine.

"How's Steven?" Jason asks her when she walks back over to him.

"He's okay." she assures, looking in on Robin, who has finally stabilized. "Do you really think there's still someone out there trying to finish the prophet's work?"

"There's no way to know for sure." Jason sighs, wrapping his arms around her. "Mac's placing a round the clock guard on her room to make sure she's safe."

"Why can't this just be over?" Elizabeth asks him. "Why can't it just be done?"

"I'll find a way to put an end to this." he swears, placing a soft kiss atop her head. "Somehow, someway, I'll end this."


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter Thirty-Nine**

Walking out of the hospital room, her brother still nowhere near waking up, Elizabeth stretches her body in an attempt to relieve the stress that's running through her. It seemed that her body just couldn't relieve the tenseness it has been feeling since Robin almost died.

Mostly because she had that same sick feeling Mac had, a sick feeling that their battle with the prophet wasn't over. No matter how dead the man was, it seems like he is still pulling someone's strings. Jason has tried to convince her that, whoever it is, they don't have the same resources that the prophet had. Seeing as he and the B.O.D. have dismantled the entire organization from the inside out. For some reason, though, she just didn't believe that it made any difference.

"Sonny." Elizabeth greets him as he walks off the elevator. "Here to see Robin?"

"Yeah." he admits, smiling slightly, holding up a bouquet of flowers. "I'm hoping these will help liven up her room."

"Its worth a shot." she says simply, never really understanding the idea of bringing flowers to a patient. It just seemed strange, like they were preparing for the event that the patient would die. "Jason's with her right now, but he should be leaving the room soon."

"Why is that?"

"Its just about the time that the loudmouth comes to visit Robin." Elizabeth shrugs, hitting the down button on for the elevator. "Can you just let him know that I'm waiting in the cafeteria?"

"Sure." Sonny shakes his head, watching as she walks onto the elevator. "How's...how are you doing? The pregnancy treating you okay?"

"If by okay you mean constantly wasting amazing meals, then, yeah...its treating me great." Elizabeth hits the button for the first floor. "See you later, Sonny."

"See you later, Elizabeth." he gets out before the doors close.

Staring at the elevator for a moment longer, Sonny turns on his heels and heads to Robin's room, finding Jason sitting by the bed. For a split second, Sonny felt a sense of dejavu, but he knew better. Jason's not Robin's anymore and, strangely, it didn't seem as wrong as he thought it would.

"Sonny." Jason greets, rising to his feet. "You okay?"

"Me?" Sonny shakes his head, putting down the bouquet of flowers. "Yeah, I'm good. What about her?"

"No changes, so far." Jason says simply, glancing over at Robin. "The doctors say that's a good thing."

"Look, we should talk business later." Sonny says carefully. "There's some stuff that you should know."

"Can you handle it?" Jason counters, looking at him seriously. "Its just that...with everything going on..."

"Yeah, no, I understand." Sonny concedes, smiling slightly. "I'll just handle it."

"You sure?" Jason looks at him curiously. "If you need me to step in, just let me know. I'm still the head of the organization."

"I'm sure...I'll handle it." Sonny says with more conviction than last time. "You just focus on this situation...I'll handle the business."

"Thanks." he takes a deep breath, reaching for his jacket. "I should get going. Its about time for Elizabeth to eat."

"She was heading to the cafeteria when I saw her earlier." Sonny says as Jason slides into his jacket. "She said that she'll be waiting for you there."

"Okay." Jason leans over to place a kiss on Robin's forehead before turning away from her. "Thanks, again, for stepping in for me. I owe you one."

"I think that's the other way around." Sonny counters, knowing that he could never repay Jason for all the things he has done for him over the years. "Go take care of your girl."

Granting Sonny a nod, Jason walks out of the room to head to the cafeteria, needing to see Elizabeth and remember that there was still a bright side to his day. Riding the elevator, Jason patiently waits for the bell to ding and for the doors to open up before making his way to the cafeteria. What he wasn't expecting, when he got there, was for Elizabeth to be nowhere in sight.

Pulling out his cellphone, he tries to call her up on hers, but it goes straight to voicemail. A sick feeling spreading through him, Jason tries to remain calm, forcing himself not to go into panic mode as he thinks of all the possible reasons why she wouldn't be where she said she'd be and why her phone's off. There had to be a simple, logical reason to explain it.

Calling the guards, Jason waits for an answer, knowing that if she left the hospital they'd be with her. Getting voicemail, Jason's reserve starts to crumble and his mind starts to go into the darkest possibilities. Rushing out of the cafeteria, he's jabbing at the button on the elevator when his phone rings. Its Johnny.

"Where is she?" Jason nearly shouts as he gets onto the elevator.

"An estate off Route 23." Johnny says, not failing to notice the urgency in his tone. "By the time we spotted her leaving the hospital, she was getting in a black Sedan and it was too late for us to stop her."

Ending the call abruptly, Jason rides the elevator down to the lobby before leaving the building and getting into his car. Starting up his SUV, Jason speeds the whole way to the estate that Johnny tells him about. He didn't care why she was there. All he cared about was the fact that she was there and not where she said she'd be. Something that she never does. Especially with everything going on.

Meanwhile, in the estate off of Route 23, Elizabeth stands across from the man that fathered her father. She waits for him to speak, having nothing to say and saying just that, nothing. From the looks of it, he's sizing her up, something she could understand, but didn't appreciate.

"I apologize for handling things the way I have." Joe Sr. apologizes, pouring a glass of water. "I really didn't know how else to get some face time with you."

"Here's a suggestion...call." Elizabeth counters, refusing the glass he holds out to her.

"Would you have agreed to see me had I called?" Joe Sr. counters, gesturing for her to sit, but she refuses that as well. "No, right?"

"What do you want from me?" Elizabeth states, eyeing him intently, wondering what his angle was in all this.

"Just to get to know you." Joe Sr. assures, setting the glass down. "We're family after all."

"We share the same blood." Elizabeth corrects, shaking her head. "That makes us relatives. It doesn't make us family."

"What's the difference?" Joe Sr. questions, intrigued by her line of thought.

"The difference being that I trust my family." Elizabeth says with conviction. "And I don't trust you."

Just then, Jason comes bursting through the door, assessing the situation before walking over to her, making her face him. For a moment, he simply takes her in, making sure she's okay before he takes a deep breath and wraps his arms around her.

"You okay?" he asks her when he pulls away.

"Yeah...I'm okay." she says softly, staring into his eyes. "I'm sorry you had to worry. I never want that."

"Its okay." Jason gently touches her face before dropping his hand. "What happened?"

"Well, Joe Sr. decided that now would be as good a time as any to force me into a meeting." Elizabeth gestures to the man across from them. "It doesn't matter. We're done."

"Give me a minute?" Jason asks her, meeting Joe Sr.'s eyes, handing her the keys. "I'll be right out."

"Jason..." she wasn't sure about leaving him alone with Joe Sr.

"Its okay." he smiles slightly, leaning in and kissing her softly. "Johnny and the guys are outside. I won't be long."

"Okay." she shakes her head, glancing at Joe Sr. before focusing on Jason. "Make it fast. I'm hungry."

Jason watches her walk out of the room, his anxiety dropping tremendously, thankful that this wasn't something more serious than what it was. Turning to Joe Sr. once the door shuts behind her, Jason makes his way over to him, meeting his eyes as he does.

"Is this where you threaten me?" Joe Sr. inquires, watching as the stone cold glare settles into his eyes. "You know, I taught Sonny everything he knows. Which, in turn, means that you only know what I taught Sonny."

"Keep thinking that." Jason says plainly. "I like it when people underestimate me."

"I bet you do."

"I'm only going to say this once. I don't care who you are." Jason states sternly, glaring at the old man. "I don't care if you taught Sonny all he knows or that you're Elizabeth's grandfather. Pull something like this again and the only thing people will remember about you is that you were too stupid to know when to back off."

"Is that so?" Joe Sr. counters, truly intrigued.

"Obviously you ran a background check on me and you think you know all you need to know." Jason smirks slightly. "One thing that background check won't tell you is how far I'll go when you mess with the people I love. She may be your granddaughter, but she's my family and there's nothing I wouldn't do for her. Nothing."

Turning on his heels, Jason walks out of the room and right out of the house, meeting Elizabeth by the SUV. Wrapping his arms around her, he holds her for a moment before kissing her softly, truly thankful to have her back in his arms again.

"Ready to go eat?" she questions, smiling slightly at the look on his face.

"Yeah, come on." Jason smiles slightly, opening her door for her. "We'll stop by Kelly's on the way back to the hospital."


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter Forty**

Walking onto the elevator, Elizabeth hugs Jason's arm to her chest as they stand side by side, waiting for the elevator to ride up to their floor. For the first time since she found out she was pregnant, Elizabeth was finally able to hold down a solid meal and she relished in it. It felt so good to eat a delicious meal without having it make an encore appearance.

"How's your stomach feeling?" Jason asks her as the elevator reaches their floor.

"Still good." Elizabeth assures, smiling slightly. "I think our baby is finally ready to let me keep my food down."

"Good." he leans down and kisses her temple before walking off the elevator with her. "I'm glad your morning sickness is passing."

"Me, too." Elizabeth says seriously. "I was about ready to just throw the food into the toilet and save our baby the trouble of throwing it up."

"Since you're able to keep food down, maybe we should celebrate with a home cooked meal tonight." Jason says softly, looking at her seductively. "You and me in the kitchen...forgetting everything for one night...what do you say?"

"I say, it sounds perfect." she agrees, wanting that more than anything, to just forget their problems for one night. "Jason, look."

Just down the hall from them, Mac is outside talking to Robin's doctors, making both of them a little curious as to what's going on. From the look on Mac's face, it could be just about anything, the look on Sonny's face didn't help much either. Then they spotted Brenda with tears in her eyes and that pushed them into making their way down the hall to see what happened.

"Give them a minute." Sonny says when they get to the group, guiding them a few feet away. "Its still sinking in for them."

"What is?" Jason looks at him in confusion. "What's going on, Sonny?"

"Don't tell me..." Elizabeth couldn't even fix her lips to say it. It was unthinkable.

"Yeah." Sonny sighs, shaking his head. "She has no memory of who she is, much less the people in her life."

"Does it..." Elizabeth takes a deep breath, feeling sick to her stomach. "Does it have to do with the syringe?"

"They don't know for sure." Sonny watches as Elizabeth practically has the wind knocked out of her. "They're running some tests and they'll know more once the results come back."

"Liz..." Jason couldn't even process the fact that Robin didn't know him anymore. That she didn't know anyone anymore. That she didn't know herself.

"I can't believe this." Elizabeth moves towards Robin's window, gaining Mac and Brenda's attention as she looks in on Robin. "When is this going to end?"

Brenda was about to step up and blame Elizabeth for everything, like many of her rants have entailed since Jason brought Robin back, but Mac stepped in her way. Walking up to Elizabeth, he places a soft hand on her shoulder, smiling slightly when she turns her head to look at him.

"Why don't you go in?" Mac suggests, ignoring the shocked expression on Brenda's face. "You're the only person that understands what she's going through. I'm sure it'll help her to know that."

"Yeah...okay." Elizabeth shakes her head, glancing back at Jason before making her way into the room, completely unsure of what she was supposed to say or do.

As she makes her way to Robin's bedside, everyone outside the room gather by the window to see the two of them. Brenda tries to go inside, but Mac stops her again, telling her that she had to think of what Robin needed and not herself. Something Brenda took offence in, but remained outside the room regardless.

"Hi." Elizabeth says tentatively, watching Robin as she tries to figure out who she is. "I'm Elizabeth."

"Do I know you?" Robin asks her in confusion. "I mean...did I know you?"

"Yeah...you can say that." Elizabeth moves to sit down in the chair by the bed. "We weren't friends or anything, if that's what you're thinking."

"I honestly don't know what to think." Robin admits, glancing over at the window filled with people. "I'm surrounded by strangers that know more about me than I know about myself. How crazy is that?"

"I know the feeling."

"How could you possibly know?"

"Not that long ago, I was where you are now. I had no memory of my past." Elizabeth admits, taking a deep breath. "Everywhere I turned I'd see someone that knew me...someone that expected me to know them. That expected me to remember. The more I said I couldn't, the harder they tried. It was like they believed that if they said the right thing or did the right thing, I'd get my memory back and everything would go back to normal. I'd go back to normal."

"How did you deal with that?" Robin looks at her almost pleadingly, needing some way to cope with her new reality, to understand. "How did you deal with being a stranger in your own life?"

"Not that well at first." Elizabeth smiles slightly, shaking her head at the memory. "But then I found someone that understood. Someone that looked at me and saw me. Someone that genuinely cared for me without expectations or demands and having that person in my life changed everything for me. I no longer felt like the broken girl that couldn't remember. I was just me."

"Sounds like quite the person."

"He is." Elizabeth agrees, glancing back at Jason before looking at Robin. "I should get going."

"Do you have to?"

"My brother's in the hospital and I'd like to go see him." Elizabeth explains, rising to her feet before taking a pen and paper from the bedside table and writing down her number. "If you ever need anything, even just to talk, call me. We may not have been friends before, but I'd like to help you if I can."

"Thank you."

"I didn't do anything." Elizabeth looks at her confusedly.

"Yes, you did." Robin smiles slightly. "You understood."

"See you later, Robin."

"See you later, Elizabeth."

Taking a deep breath, Elizabeth turns away from Robin and walks out the door, smiling slightly at Mac when he thanks her before walking into Jason's arms. They hold each other for a long moment as Brenda and Mac go in to see Robin. Sonny remaining by the window, looking in on the girl he had always loved like a little sister.

"We have to find the person responsible for this." Elizabeth says seriously, hugging his arm to her chest as they walk to her brother's room. "They can't get away with doing to this to Robin."

"They won't." Jason promises, leaning down and kissing her temple. "We'll find the person responsible and we'll make them pay. I promise you that."

"A part of me is afraid for him to wake up." Elizabeth says, looking in on Audrey and her brother. "Its bad enough that Robin and I have to go through life without memories of our past. I don't want that to be his reality, too."

"Even if he wakes up without his memory, I know he'll be okay."

"How do you know that?"

"Because he'll have you." Jason turns her to look at him. "What you did for Robin...giving her someone that understood...that was amazing. If you can do that for her, your brother will be just fine with you by his side."


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter Forty-One**

Walking into their home, Jason and Elizabeth help each other out of their coats before wrapping their arms around each other, simply taking a moment to just hold each other. After all they have been through, both of them just needed a moment to breath, a moment to relish in the simplest of things in life.

After a long moment, they slowly remove themselves from their embrace, walking hand in hand to the kitchen to start on dinner. It was strange when they thought about the last time they had actually cooked together, realizing it has been a long time since they had, too long.

Throughout their little rehash of cooking together, Jason found himself glancing down at her abdomen more and more, trying his hardest to imagine what she would look like with a full on pregnant belly. He knows its pointless, finding it almost impossible to imagine anything, but he also knew that it would be his reality before he knows it.

"All done." Elizabeth takes their dish out of the oven, placing it down on a heat resistant mat. "I'm gonna go set up our table."

"No...let me." Jason stops her from walking out of the kitchen. "You just relax. I'll call you when its all set."

"Okay." she concedes, not wanting to, but her feet was already aching. "I'll mix us up one of Sonny's special drinks."

With a simple kiss, Elizabeth pulls up a stool to give her feet a break while Jason walks out into the living room to set up a spot for them to eat. Even if its just for tonight, they both have promised that they'd leave all their problems, all the complications of their life, outside those four walls. Tonight is just about them and the love they share, needing to create a good moment while they live through the chaos that the prophet had created.

"Do you know who I haven't seen in a while?" Elizabeth questions as they sit down for dinner. "Alexis."

"Come to think of it, I haven't seen her in a while either." Jason agrees, taking a drink of his beer. "Then again, we have been busy at the hospital."

"True." Elizabeth accepts, taking a bite of her food. "Will you remind me to call her in the morning? I think its only right to check up on her after she took it upon herself to get those books for me."

"Sure." he agrees simply, taking her hand in his, realizing just how much she was starting to open herself up to other people. "I'll remind you in the morning."

"Thanks."

Finishing dinner in silence, Jason puts on some soft music, pulling her up from her spot on the floor before wrapping his arms around in. Like cooking dinner, it has been a while since they last danced together and Jason couldn't wait to have her in his arms while they swayed to the soft melodies floating through the air.

Elizabeth's eyes began to close as she listened to the thumping of his heartbeat against her ear, making her feel safer than she has in such a long time. As the song came to an end, she couldn't bring herself to let him go, needing to be held for just a moment longer. Needing the safety that his arms always ensure.

"Elizabeth." he whispers softly, prompting her to look at him. "I love you."

"I love you." she says with her whole heart, her eyes slowly closing again as his lips claim hers.

Though, not intended, their kiss propels them into something more, something deeper, something raw. Lifting her up into his arms, Jason carefully carries her up the stairs, into their bedroom, laying her down upon their bed, his lips never leaving hers. It was a miracle that he got them there safely, if he had thought of it, not that it really crossed his mind.

Pulling away as she sits upon the bed, Jason's breath gets caught in his throat as she slowly does away with his t-shirt, slowly sliding it up his body until he had to yank it off the rest of the way. Doing the same, Jason slowly removes her blouse, their eyes glued to each other's as he does. For a moment, he takes a good look at her changing form, a small baby bump growing bigger with every passing day.

Drowning in each other, they make love, soft and slow. This was the second time that they had made love and Jason wanted to take his time with her. Partly because she was now carrying his child, but also because he wanted to relish in this moment with her, to remember why he was fighting so hard to survive past this craziness.

"Jason?" she says softly as they lay in each other's arms, their breathing returning to normal.

"Yeah?"

"We're gonna be okay, right?" she questions, looking up to stare into his eyes, needing to see them when he answers her. "Somehow, someway, we'll find a way to end this and we'll be okay...won't we?"

"No matter what it takes, no matter what I have to do, I will make sure that this comes to an end." Jason promises, kissing her forehead softly. "As for us...we'll always be okay as long as we're together. That much I can promise you."

Accepting his answer, Elizabeth slowly lowers her head to rest against his chest before she allows the fatigue to take her over, slowly closing her eyes as her mind slips off into a peaceful slumber. Jason, on the other hand, stays awake for a while longer, taking in her beauty as she sleeps beside him, swearing to himself that he would never be able to get over how breathtaking she is while she sleeps.

It would take a long while before he, too, succumbs to the fatigue that plagues him, his arms secured around her. As much as he wanted to remain awake, just watching over her, he knew that morning could bring with it just about anything and he needed his energy to deal with it all.

"Jason." her voice is warning as they make their way to her brother's hospital room in the morning. "Something's happening."

"Come on." he says, picking up the pace, knowing she wanted to get there quickly. "Audrey?"

"These are good tears, I assure you." Audrey says to Elizabeth, noticing that she looked worried. "Your brother's awake."

"Does he..." she tries to form the words, but they get caught in her throat, fear gripping her.

"He has his memories." Audrey assumes that's what she meant. "He's the lucky one."

"Good." she breathes, turning to Jason, needing to be in his arms. "He's okay...he's really okay."

"You should go in." Jason whispers, knowing that she needed to see her brother, to meet him. "I'll wait out here for you."

"Okay." she shakes her head, taking a deep breath before turning to Audrey. "Can I?"

"Of course, sweetheart." Audrey holds open the door for her. "Go right in. He's been asking for you since he woke up."

Walking into the room, Elizabeth's eyes meet Steven's as the door closes behind her, unable to think of anything to say in that moment. He doesn't speak either, simply taking her in as she makes her way over to him, having imagined seeing her more than once since he woke up. He wondered what she'd be like, how she'd react to seeing him, if his baby sister was still inside her even without the memories.

"Hi." he finally breaks the silence, watching as a slight smile graces her lips.

"Hi." Elizabeth replies, walking over to stand at the foot of his bed. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Me, too." he assures, looking her over for a moment. "That you're okay, I mean. You are okay, right?"

"Yeah...I'm okay."

"Good, that's good." he shakes his head before attacking the elephant in the room. "Must be strange to meet me, huh?"

"Not as strange as I thought it would be." she admits, laughing softly. "If I could have imagined it, I definitely wouldn't have imagined this."

"I bet."

"I'm sorry." she feels the need to voice. "I'm sorry I can't remember you. I want to...more than you can imagine...but I just can't."

"Hey, its okay." Steven says without hesitation, gesturing for her to come closer before taking her hand in his. "I'm still your big brother and you're still my baby sister. The rest doesn't matter."

"But I can't share in the memories that you know...nothing from our past...our childhood..."

"We'll make new memories." Steven says instantly, watching as tears fill her eyes. "Nothing matters as long as we're still alive and in each other's lives. We'll get to know each other again and we'll make new memories...better memories. You'll see. Trust me."

Unable to voice all the things she was feeling in that moment, Elizabeth accepts the hug that her brother is offering, leaning into him as he wraps his arms around her. She couldn't believe that he was willing to forget the past, forget the fact that she couldn't remember, and just accept her as she is. To have that, to know that he felt that way, it was indescribable. Unbelievable. Exactly what she had hoped for and so much more.


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter Forty-Two**

Heading down to the cafeteria to find something eatable for her brother, Elizabeth couldn't help the smile that touches her lips as she walks through the cafeteria doors. From the moment they had told her about Steven after she woke up, she had longed to know him, more so after she had seen Jason and Emily on the docks. A connection like that, it was something she longed for and, now, she's finally getting it. Only its far better than she had thought it would be.

Talking to him, listening to him tell her about his life, about what he likes and dislikes, she couldn't help but soak in every last word he says. Everything he tells her, every fact he divulges, Elizabeth etches it into her memory, wanting to remember everything about him, to know her brother and to hold that close to her heart.

She couldn't understand why she felt the need to have him in her life when she never felt that for anyone else before, but she didn't care to question it. Its simply one of those things she'll never understand, but will grow to accept. After all, she's getting exactly what she wanted. For her to know him and for him to know her.

"Emily?" Elizabeth looks at her questioningly, holding Steven's food in her hands as Emily walks over to her. "Hey, what are you doing here?"

"Audrey told me about Steven." she admits, a soft smile on her lips. "She also tells me that you have been right by his side since you found out. That's good."

"I'm just getting him something to eat." Elizabeth gestures to the food. "If you want, maybe you can come up with me to see him."

"I'd like that." Emily smiles before holding open the door for Elizabeth to walk out of the cafeteria. "What was it like to meet him?"

"Strange, but in a good way." Elizabeth shakes her head. "I was so scared that he would have been like everyone else when I first met them. No offence."

"None taken." she assures her, knowing that she wasn't exactly the most accepting person at first. "He was always good at going with the flow."

"Well, not always." Elizabeth laughs softly. "You should have seen his face when he realized I was pregnant. I thought he'd stop breathing right then and there."

"No way, seriously?" Emily couldn't help but laugh as well. "Was that before or after he found out that Jason was the father?"

"Before...and after." Elizabeth didn't know why, but she had found it truly amusing that he had reacted that way. "He broke out of it after I started laughing."

"I bet he did."

Getting back to Steven's room, Elizabeth was confused by the look on both Jason and Steven's faces as they looked at each other, both turning to look at her when she questioned them about what was going on. Steven quickly tried to assure her that it was nothing, that they were simply talking about the problems of the prophet.

"Come on." Jason slips his hand into hers. "We should get going."

"Um, okay." Elizabeth hands the food over to Emily before she looks at Steven. "I'll be back again later."

"Sure thing, sis."

Hugging Jason's arm to her chest as they leave the room, she refrains from questioning him further until they get down to the parking garage and into the SUV. Something had gone down between him and Steven, something she's sure wouldn't sit well with her, hence him taking her away from the hospital.

"I'll tell you after we eat lunch, I promise." Jason says, holding her hand in his as they head home. "I just want to make sure that you and the baby are taken care of right now."

"Okay." she accepts, gently running her other hand up and down his arm, trying to get him to relax, smiling when she feels him ease out of the tension. "Lunch sounds great."

Getting home, he tries to convince her to relax on the couch, suggesting she try to get a hold of Alexis again, while he cooks them something to eat. Of course, she wanted to tell him that both those things could wait, always enjoying cooking with him, but eventually she caves and lays down on the couch.

Trying Alexis on her cellphone, home phone, and office phone, Elizabeth still couldn't get a hold of her friend, which made her start to worry. She knows that their last encounter had been less than warm, but she didn't think that her friend would completely shut her out like this. What if something was wrong?

"Alexis?" she questions, answering her phone when it rings, stupidly not checking the caller id before answering.

"No, sorry." the voice replies. "This isn't Alexis."

"Who is this?" Elizabeth counters, rising into a sitting position. "And how did you get this number?"

"My name is Joe Scully Jr." the caller divulges. "I'm your father."

"Right." she sighs, leaning back against the couch. "What do you want?"

"Just to talk." he assures, not blaming her for how she's speaking to him. "Do you think I can come see you?"

"Sure." she says plainly. "Only because you had the decency to call, unlike your father."

"I'm sorry about him." he says with his whole heart. "He tends to take things to the extreme sometimes."

"So, I've learnt." she says simply. "I'm home. You can come by, I'll meet you down in the lobby."

"I'm already here."

"Okay." she slides her legs off the couch, knowing she should have seen that coming. "I'll be right down."

"Who was that?" Jason questions, having only heard the last part of the conversation when he walked out of the kitchen.

"Joe Jr." Elizabeth admits, rising to her feet. "I'm gonna meet him in the lobby."

"Do you need me to come with you?"

"No, that's okay." she leans in, kissing him softly. "You finish cooking. I won't be long."

Allowing him to help her into her jacket, Elizabeth makes her way out of the penthouse and into the elevator. She couldn't understand why she was giving him even a minute of her time, but there she was, riding the elevator down to meet, to hear what he had to say. Maybe it was having Steven back in her life that had her wanting to see where this talk would take them or maybe not. Regardless of the reason, she's giving him the chance and she hopes it does backfire on her.

"Hi." he says when she gets to him. "I'm glad you agreed to see me."

"I'd like to say the feeling's mutual, but we'll see how this goes first." Elizabeth says simply. "What did you want to see me for?"

"Well, first of all, I wanted to apologize for my father."

"You don't control what he does." Elizabeth counters. "So, there's no need to apologize for him."

"Okay." he smiles slightly, amazed at how logical she is. "And, secondly, I wanted to find out if there was any chance of me being a part of your life. I know that you don't know me, but truth is that you never knew me...I never really knew you...and I'd like to change that."

"She didn't know you?"

"No." he admits sadly. "She didn't."

"Honesty, I don't know if I should trust you." Elizabeth says after a moment. "Especially not if you're gonna defend my mother to me every chance you get."

"I won't do that." he assures. "She chose to do what she did...that's on her. I just want to have a relationship with you, if that's possible."

"Right now, all I can say is that I'll think about it." Elizabeth takes a deep breath. "Can you accept that?"

"Its a start." he smiles slightly. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me just yet."

Walking away from him, Elizabeth tells the guards to make sure that her father gets to his car without trouble before making her way back up to the penthouse, finding Jason with lunch already set up and waiting for her. Allowing him to help her out of her jacket once again, Elizabeth follows him over to the table to eat lunch.

"How did it go?" he asks, truly curious about how she took to seeing her father.

"Okay, I guess." she sighs, taking a drink of water. "I'm still not sure about him."

"Give yourself time." he says simply, leaning over to kiss her temple. "No one will blame you for being cautious about your parents."

"I guess so." she concedes, looking at him. "I'm just thankful to have one constant thing in my life, one thing I know is real."

"Oh, yeah, what's that?"

"Your love."


	43. Chapter 43

**Chapter Forty-Three**

Laying in bed together after lunch was finished, Jason secures her in his embrace, placing a soft kiss upon her forehead as her eyes slowly close. Though she tries to hide it, he could see how much this situation was taking out of her. Against her own better judgement, Elizabeth has been stretching herself thin with trying to be at her brother's bedside while putting whatever hours in she can at Kelly's.

Bobbie has been understanding, given their current situation, but he knew that Elizabeth wouldn't allow the generosity to continue for much longer. Even if it wasn't necessary, she feels the need to keep the job at the diner and she'll start pushing herself to accommodate that atop of her hours at the hospital with her brother. Something Jason wasn't looking forward to.

"Sleep." he instructs when she tries to talk. "We'll have time to talk after you get some rest."

"I'll rest after you tell me what happened between you and Steven." she counters, snuggling into his chest as a yawn makes its way out of her. "You promised."

"I promised to tell you after we've had lunch." Jason corrects. "It'll still be after we've had lunch when you wake up."

"Jason..."

"If you want to be literal, I also said that I wanted to make sure that you and the baby were taken care of." he cuts her off, moving her to look at him. "And, right now, what you and the baby need more than anything is for you to sleep."

"Okay." she concedes after yet another yawn ripples through her. "But only for a few hours."

"Just rest." he replies simply, gently running his hand up and down her back. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Mm..." she mumbles through her lips, the fatigue slowly pulling her under. "Mm-hmm."

Giving up the fight, Elizabeth allows herself to slip into a peaceful slumber, clinging to Jason as she does. She knew he was right, sleep was something she definitely needed, but she just hated being unconscious, even for a few hours. There just didn't seem to be enough hours in a day.

Between Kelly's and her brother, plus the situation with Robin...its like she just couldn't find the time to catch her breath. Sometimes she wishes she could go back to a time when her life wasn't so complicated, but the thought would only last for a few moments. Despite all the bad things that have happened, there are still things that she wouldn't want to undo.

Her relationship with Jason, for one. Their baby. Her new found relationship with her brother, no matter how complicated that seems to look right now. There was just too much she was thankful for, too much she couldn't do without, that she'd never truly want to go back again.

A pounding coming from downstairs forces Jason to slide out of Elizabeth's embrace, placing a full body pillow in his place as he goes down to the door, knowing exactly who would be on the other side. It always seemed that when they are in the middle of a peaceful moment, little miss self-invested always finds a way to ruin it. Something that Jason was growing tired of having to endure.

Glancing at the gun sitting atop of the desk, he takes a deep breath before shaking his head, knowing that Sonny would never condone that. Deciding on the more sane approach to the intrusion, Jason picks up the phone and calls down to the guards in the lobby, knowing that Sonny wouldn't protest to that. Even if he did, at least it wouldn't be as bad as Sonny finding out that he shot Brenda.

Through the door, moments later, he could hear Brenda's big mouth running on and on as the guards urge her to get on the elevator and leave. From the words that erupt from her next, Jason could tell that the guards had grown tired of trying and simply lifted her up off her feet, taking her into the elevator whether she approved of it or not. Normally he wouldn't pull his weight as the boss, wanting more than anything for Sonny to take that place already, but Brenda was just too much.

Running a weary hand down his face, Jason grabs his gun, intent on putting it into the lock box in the closet. He was about to shut the box, the gun sitting safely inside when a knock sounded at the door, causing him to take the gun back out, just in case. One look through the peephole and he was set on securing the gun in the lock box. He really didn't feel like shooting Elizabeth's mother in the middle of his doorway just yet.

"What do you want?" Jason says bluntly, preventing her from seeing into the penthouse, much less walking through the door.

"I want to see my daughter." she says carefully. "I need to at least meet her...for her to hear my side of the story."

"She doesn't want anything to do with you." Jason counters, refraining from mentioning that she has already met Elizabeth, even if Elizabeth was unconscious at the time. "Her words, not mine."

"Maybe if I talk to her, maybe she'll..."

"Maybe she'll what?" Jason questions when she doesn't continue, arching his eyebrow for emphasis. "Maybe she'll forget all the children you sacrificed for that psychopath you called a husband? Maybe she'll forget that you gave her up to him on a silver platter with complete disregard to what would happen to her after the fact the procedure had been completed? What exactly do you expect from Elizabeth that is actually plausible?"

"I just...I need to talk to her." she pleads, tears welling up in her eyes. "She's my daughter...I just need a chance to explain. Please."

"After everything you have put her through, what you need is irrelevant. If not for Joe Jr. you wouldn't even be standing here right now." Jason states calmly, refusing to lose his cool. "At the end of the day, though, the only person that matters in all of this is Elizabeth. So, for as long as she says she wants nothing to do with you, that's exactly what she's gonna get."

"WAIT!" she stops him from closing the door, growing closer and closer to the point of begging. "Please! Can you please ask her? If she says she doesn't want to see me, I'll go. Just, please, ask her."

"She's asleep." he divulges, glaring at her, prompting her to remove her hand from the door. "And the last thing I'm gonna do is disturb her rest just so you can further complicate her life."

Shutting the door, ignoring the pained look on Elizabeth's mother's face, Jason makes his way back upstairs after locking the door. He didn't care if he hurt every last person on this planet as long as they didn't have the chance to hurt Elizabeth. Until she says otherwise, Jason will do anything and everything in his power to ensure that she never had to deal with her mother alone. Call him paranoid, if you will, but he just didn't trust her. Not when it comes to Elizabeth and their unborn child. The farther away that woman was from his family, the better Jason would feel.


	44. Chapter 44

**Chapter Forty-Four**

Watching over her as she lays fast asleep, Jason thinks back on his conversation with Steven, unable to process the latest secret drudged up from the chaos that is the prophet. How was he supposed to tell her any of the stuff that Steven had divulged to him? Hasn't she been through enough? Why must he drop this on her atop of everything else?

Seeing her laying there so peacefully unaware, he wanted more than anything to keep it like that. To keep her from knowing just how much more twisted the world could be, how twisted life could really be. The more he tries to keep his promise to end this chaos, more truths drudge up from the pits of hell, making it that much more difficult to uphold his promise. Of course, none of the secrets mattered more to him than the one that still haunts him from the prophet's death, the cure.

_"If what I'm told is true, you must know that there's a cure." Steven watches Jason's expression, trying to read off of it, but finding it surprisingly blank. "Right?"_

_"What makes you think that?"_

_"The prophet wouldn't allow himself to be killed without using his only bargaining chip." Steven replies with ease. "I'm sure that he must have insisted that you needed him alive to obtain the cure."_

_"What's your point?" Jason counters, eyeing his girlfriend's brother intently, unsure of what to make of this little inquiry._

_"My point is that I know where the cure can be found." Steven divulges, amazed with the amount of restraint Jason was using, hiding any emotion from his face. "The question being, are you willing to help me get it for my sister?"_

_"She doesn't need it."_

_"Are you sure about that?" Steven questions with complete curiosity. "Because as far as I'm concerned, Elizabeth deserves to have the choice of getting her memories back or not. When the cure is in her hands and she chooses to remain without her memories, that's fine. At least it was her choice."_

Jason had wanted to dispute him, to argue the point that Elizabeth no longer needed the stupid cure, that she was happy as she is, but the truth is that he didn't really know that. Sure, she's happy, she has enough with the life she has now, but the cure will always hang over them if she doesn't make that choice. Until she has the cure in her hands and turns it down, Jason will always wonder what if. As pointless as it was, he wouldn't be able to help it.

The more he thought of the cure, of what it could mean, more and more questions begin to pop up into his head. According to Steven, the cure wouldn't affect the baby one way or the other, so that wasn't a viable argument. The question that plagues him, of course, is where he will end up once she's back to the girl she used to be? Would they still be together? Would they break up? What will happen in regard to their baby? Joint custody? There was just no knowing for sure.

"How am I supposed to do this?" Jason whispers, gently tucking a few strands of hair behind her ear, giving him full view of her beautiful face. "Am I really ready to risk losing you by tracking down this cure? Will you even take it if I do manage to get my hands on it?"

Smiling slightly, Jason watches as she shifts in bed, still unable to get truly comfortable sleeping on her back, what with her growing belly and all. Turning to face him, she slings her arm around his waist, snuggling deep into his side, breathing him in as she nestles her face into his chest.

Gently running his hand up and down her back, soothing her as she tries to get comfortable, Jason couldn't believe that there was even a possibility that he could lose moments like this. Moments when she lets herself be vulnerable, where she drops her guard and simply allows herself to exist, knowing that he'll protect her. That he would always put her best interest first.

As that thought enters his mind, he realizes that the only answer to his many questions is yes. Yes, he's willing to risk losing her. Yes, he's willing to do whatever it took to get the cure for her. Yes, he will risk his every happiness in order to give her whatever she needed and much more. If he gets the cure and she decides not to take, that's her choice, but he had to give her the choice of taking it.

"Jason?" she mumbles as she starts to wake up hours later. "What time is it?"

"Eight o'clock." he admits, watching as she looks at him in confusion. "In the evening."

"Wha...why would you let me sleep this long?" she says, shooting up into a sitting position. "I was supposed to go back to the hospital before putting in a few hours at the diner. I told Bobbie I'd try my best to make it in."

"She'll understand." Jason stops her from getting out of bed. "Elizabeth, you've been running yourself thin, to the point of exhaustion. You needed your rest."

"Bobbie took a chance on me when she had every reason not to." Elizabeth counters, looking at him seriously. "I owe it to her to at least put some effort into keeping my job."

"Would you please, just for tonight, forget about all your obligations?" Jason pleads with her. "Forget about your job at the diner, your brother in the hospital, forget everything...just for tonight."

"Don't you think I've forgotten enough to last me a lifetime?" she retorts, rising to her feet as she slips into her house slippers. "You said you understood."

"I do." he assures, rising to his feet, wrapping his arms around her. "But I also understand that I love you and that I worry about you. I understand that I will do whatever it takes to make sure that you never get hurt again. Even if that means you missing a few shifts at Kelly's or a few hours at your brother's bedside."

"I love you, too." she says as she nestles into him, realizing that he was right. "I'm sorry I overreacted."

"Its okay." he assures, placing a soft kiss upon her forehead. "Look, we should talk."

"About what happened between you and Steven?"

"Yeah." he shakes his head. "About what happened between me and Steven."

Settling back down on the bed, she gives him her undivided attention, listening as he explains everything that Steven had told him, taking time to answer her questions before continuing with his explanation. By the time he was done telling her what happened, what had been discussed, Jason wasn't sure what she was thinking because her blank expression was lifted, one that he didn't even think she could pull off.

"Say something." he whispers as she simply stares at him intently. "Please."

"You should help him." she finally says after a long moment. "You should find the cure."

"You...you want the cure?"

"Yes."


End file.
